Wonder What It's Like
by Robin Sparrow
Summary: This is what happens when the goddess of chaos, Eris, needs to pay off a debt... and drags some so called fictional characters into the 21rst century in order to not only pay the debt, but create some good ol' chaos as well. Complete!
1. Divine Intervention

YAY! This, my friends, is the replacement fic for those of you who read my old fic _Real World_. It's a crossover of LotR, PotC, and this world... with some minor Greek mythology thrown into the mixture. :)

**A/N**: This story begins before the Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean movies came out. So, to the characters herein, these stories are only in book-form. Thank you and enjoy... and R&R!

**A/N (6/10/2012): **I recently went through all of my fanfiction and deleted quite a large amount of my old stuff... some of it was just bad, and some of it just wasn't consistently good enough. It was a virtual spring-cleaning, of sorts. This fic, and its sequel, were definitely under consideration for deletion. There are tons of problems with it, I know - OOC character issues (Aragorn, I'm lookin' at you here), the occasional bit of unnecessary fluff, and drama-llama moments that could have been toned down a bit, among other things. But in the end, I still find both this story and _To Another World_ entertaining enough to keep online, even in spite of the problems. They still make me laugh, and I hope they'll still manage to at least bring a smile to your face as well. Don't be afraid to laugh at the ridiculousness of it... I do, heartily. :P

**Disclaimer**: I own neither Lord of the Rings or Pirates of the Caribbean. (sigh)

* * *

**Chapter One: Divine Intervention**

It was a beautiful, cool autumn morning – the kind of morning that makes you want to run out and jump into a pile of red-orange leaves, regardless of the fact that they'd just been raked up. The wind was as fresh and crisp as a peppermint, and the falling autumn leaves made an artist's fingers twitch in longing for a paintbrush or a camera…

…And that was exactly what Robin's fingers were doing as she stared out the window of her bookstore, Lore. Though she loved her job and the books that lined the shelves of the Renaissance-styled shop, she loved her art more. Even the storage room of the small store was half-full of paintings she'd been working on lately, on days like today where the customers were few and far between.

She sighed and turned her emerald green eyes to the clock hanging on the wall. It was just past noon – time for lunch. "Erindi!" she called out.

Another young woman, just about Robin's age, poked her head out from behind one of the bookshelves. She had sun-streaked brown-blonde hair which reached just past her shoulders, honey-brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin. She was her best friend, and Robin couldn't remember a time when they hadn't been there for each other – and couldn't imagine a future without her. "What?"

"It's lunch time, and I need sustenance. I'm gonna go out for subs – watch the shop for me while I'm gone, okay?" As she spoke, Robin pulled her waist-length, strawberry-blonde hair back into a haphazard bun – not very fancy, but at least it kept it out of her way. She rarely left it down. "And don't scare the customers away with your Buckcherry CD," she added as she headed out the door. "This is a medieval-type store, remember? Play Enya or Loreena McKennit or something."

"I know, I know – just go already!" Erindi answered, rolling her eyes. She'd heard the lecture at least fifty times by now.

"And be helpful!" Robin added as the door closed behind her.

Erindi nodded and waved as Robin hopped onto her bike – she preferred them to cars whenever she had the option – and headed off to Subway. Once Robin was gone, Erindi reached over and turned on the CD player sitting on the main desk. She smiled a little as the sounds of sounds of Blackmore's Night filled the room. Grabbing a book from a nearby shelf, she sat down in the soft, rolling-chair behind the desk and started reading.

However, before she even got to Chapter Two, her reading was interrupted by the sound of… well, she wasn't sure what it was, exactly. It had been a thudding sort of noise, like something falling off a shelf. She glanced up, annoyed and expecting to see some idiot customer walking through the store. She frowned – there was no one in sight. Turning the music down a little, she took a quick tour of the shop – still no one.

Then, just as she was sitting back down at the desk, telling herself she was imagining things, she heard a new sound – two male voices, talking. And they sounded like they were in the back room.

Snatching a hardback Webster's dictionary from one of the shelves, Erindi quietly made her way over to the storage room door and placed her hand on the knob. Working up her courage, she took a deep breath and shoved the door open, bracing herself for whatever might happen. "FREEZE!"

When the two intruders turned around, however, they were not at all what she'd been expecting. The two men, who looked only a few years older than Erindi herself, were dressed strangely – one as if he'd just stepped out of a Renaissance faire, and the other as if he'd stolen the clothes off the animatronics at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The former man was the slightly taller of the two, with shoulder-length, stringy brown hair, a short beard, cloudy gray eyes, and skin toughened and weathered by (as she would soon find out) years of traveling in the wild. The other man had the strangest hair Erindi had ever seen – a mass of black dreadlocks, braids and colorful beads, topped off by a faded red bandana and an old tri-corner hat. His skin was more darkly tanned than the first man's, and his eyes were a deep, dark brown which glinted gold in the dim storage room light. Despite the current situation, Erindi couldn't help noticing how good-looking they were, even if they were as deranged as their clothes suggested.

Shaking herself from her momentary lapse, she held the dictionary up like a weapon and glared at them. "And just what the hell do you think you're doing back here!" she demanded.

The two men shared a wary glance. "We're not exactly sure at the moment, love," the second one finally said, raising an eyebrow at her. "But if you could be so kind as to tell us where we are…"

Erindi rolled her eyes at them. "As if you don't already know."

"If you could let us explain ourselves…" the first man began, stepping forward.

But as he moved, Erindi suddenly noticed the long scabbard hanging at his side, which led her to notice the very real pistol and cutlass that hung from the second man's belt… which led her to hurl the dictionary at them in a moment of panic and slam the door shut. She heard a muffled yelp and curse as she pulled the extra key Robin had given her and locked the room shut.

Her mind awhirl and her nerves on edge, Erindi paced back and forth beside the front desk, tapping her fingers nervously on the wooden tabletop as she tried to make sense of what was going on. She froze as she heard the sound of the front door opening, and closed her eyes. Heaven only knew what Robin would say when she found out.

Robin glanced at Erindi as she sat the Subway bag down on the desk. "Erindi? What's up?"

Erindi opened her eyes and bit her lip. "Well, you see…" Without meaning to, she glanced at the storage room door.

Robin followed her gaze and frowned. "What's going on?"

"Um…" Erindi winced as the two men on the other side of the door began arguing, their voices loud enough for both Erindi and Robin to hear clearly.

Robin jumped about a foot at the sound. "Who the hell is that!" she cried, racing over to the door.

"Wait! Robin!" Robin turned pale (which meant nearly white, considering she was already naturally very light-skinned) as she realized that the storage room door was locked. "I can explain!"

"Who'd you lock in there?" Robin demanded as she dug through her pockets for her keys. "Don't tell me it's a customer!"

"You idiot. Why would I lock a customer in the storage room? That's dumb!"

Robin shrugged as she pulled out the keys. "So are you. So then who are they?"

Erindi winced as Robin waited for her answer, the key inches from the lock. "I don't know. I heard a noise, and when I looked around, I found them snooping around in the back room."

Robin stared at her. "So you decided to lock them in there? That makes sense."

Erindi rolled her eyes and pulled Robin away from the door, making sure the intruders couldn't hear. "Robin… they have swords… and a gun. And they're dressed funny. I think they're a little crazy."

Robin frowned, and considered her words. "Well," she said at last, heading back over to the door. "We need to get them out of there sometime."

"Robin! Shouldn't we call the police or something first?"

Robin gave her a don't-be-silly look and unlocked the door. Erindi shook her head, annoyed, but went over to stand next to her friend anyway as she opened the door. They looked in to find the man with the hat sitting casually on the floor near the taller man, who was lying unconscious on the floor with a dictionary next to his head.

Erindi smiled a little, and Robin's frown deepened. "What happened here?"

The man with the hat answered before Erindi could. "Your little friend there threw a dictionary at him – knocked him out cold. Good shot, by the way," he added, tipping his hat to Erindi.

Robin, always the one to look on the bright side of things, laughed. "So," she said as the man stood to face them. "What do you think you're doing in my storage room?"

The man raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, as my associate here would've said earlier if he hadn't been attacked by a flying dictionary," – Erindi's grin widened a little – "we didn't know this was _your_ storage room. Quite frankly, we didn't know it was a storage room at all. But I don't suppose you'll be kind enough to tell me where exactly we are?"

Despite the fact that he should've known the answer to his own question, Robin found herself answering anyway. "You're in the back room of my bookstore. And I must say I don't appreciate it at all. Why are you here?"

The stranger made a face. "That part's a bit complicated…" As he spoke, the unconscious man slowly sat up behind him, a hand held to his bruised forehead.

"I guess you didn't kill him after all," Robin commented, glancing at Erindi. Erindi shrugged in reply. Robin turned her attention back to the stringy-haired man. "You all right?"

Looking a bit bewildered and pained but otherwise all right, the man nodded, and slowly stood up. "I've had worse than this." He looked at Erindi, who was unnerved by how piercing his gaze was – like he could see right through her if he wanted to. "I'm sorry I frightened you. I didn't mean to."

Both Erindi and Robin looked taken aback. What kind of burglars apologized for frightening people after getting dictionaries chucked at them? "It's… er… all right?"

"Who are you?" Robin broke in, her curiosity getting the better of her.

The man with the black hair stepped forward. "The man you used for target practice is named Aragorn… and I am _Captain_ Jack Sparrow." He smiled at them crookedly as he took Robin's hand and kissed it. He would've done the same for Erindi, but she stepped away from him before he could. Straightening once more, he noticed that both women were all but gaping at him, and his smile widened. "So you've heard of me, then?"

Robin and Erindi shared a glance. "You're a bloody liar," Robin finally said when she regained her ability to speak. "What're your real names?"

Jack and Aragorn frowned at each other. "Those are our real names," Aragorn replied slowly, trying to figure out why they didn't believe him and Jack.

"He's right," said a high-pitched voice from above, startling all four of them. They raised their heads, and their eyes lit what upon what – or who – was possibly the strangest sight of the day. Sitting on the top of the highest shelf of books, high above their heads, was what appeared to be a petite young woman… but this was no ordinary person. She had coffee-and-cream colored skin, purple-mountain's-majesty eyes, and lime-green hair. She wore a bright violet shirt and pants, and a green belt and boots. But the strangest part of all were the pale, shimmering pink wings that spread out behind her, each twice her arm's length. She smiled at them all cheerily, and waved a spring-green wand at them in greeting.

Erindi frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

The girl… fairy… thing… laughed a perky little laugh and alighted on the ground next to Erindi, smacking her over the head with her hand as she did so. "Eris, of course!"

Erindi glared at her as she rubbed the sore place on her head. "You mean like, the Greek goddess person?"

Eris nodded as she thwacked Erindi a second time. "Yep! I'm the goddess of chaos and discord!"

"Do you have to keep hitting me!" Erindi exclaimed, annoyed… which earned her another thwack.

"Wait… what did you say when you got here?" Robin asked, deciding for now to ignore the fact that she should be considering if she was going crazy.

"I said… he's right." She nodded towards Aragorn. "His name's Aragorn, and the other cutie is Jack." Jack looked a little irked at being called a "cutie", but said nothing. He'd met Eris once before, and he'd learned his lesson about talking to her.

Erindi and Robin looked at each other, then back up at Eris. "You mean… they're really… Aragorn Elessar… and Jack Sparrow?"

"Captain," Jack muttered, earning a thwack from Eris.

Eris smiled down at Robin. "Yep!"

Robin blinked. "But… why are they here?"

"I brought them here!" Eris explained.

Jack raised an eyebrow at Aragorn. "Sorry," Aragorn said to him. Robin and Erindi glanced at them, puzzled. Aragorn sighed. "About three years ago, Eris brought Jack here to Middle-Earth… but I didn't meet her till now… and I never really believed him when he said he was from another world." He looked at Jack again. "So, like I said… sorry."

Jack shrugged. "Didn't really make much of a difference anyway," was his only reply.

Erindi blinked. "Robin… I think we've lost it," she whispered to her friend.

Robin paused, and thought about it for all of two seconds. "Nah. My hallucinations are weirder than this any day of the week." Erindi stared at her but said nothing. "This is real."

"So just where are we then?" Jack cut in, annoyed with the whole thing. "This doesn't look like Middle-Earth to me."

"That's because it's not," Robin answered. "This is just Earth… your Earth… and it's the year 2000."

Jack blanched. "Well, guess they were wrong about the world ending after all, huh?"

Eris chuckled. "I guess so! Well, now that that's settled, it's time for me to be going now… bye!"

"WAIT!" Robin cried out. Eris looked down at her in surprise. "Why did you bring them here? And for how long?"

"They're here to cause chaos – and they stay as long as I feel like it!" Eris replied, thwacking Robin once more before vanishing in a puff of violet smoke.

For a few moments, no one spoke. At length, Robin broke the silence. "So… I guess you'll be staying with us then, since you're not from here."

"If it's not too much trouble," Aragorn agreed.

Robin shrugged. "No trouble at all. By the way, my name's Robin… and this is our world."


	2. Explaining the Modern World

OMG! A new chapter! Progress! XD Woo... sorry it took so long... been kinda busy lately going back and forth between a friend's house and my own, plus I've recently become addicted to an MMORPG called Lineage II... But here, at last, is a new chapter. Enjoy, and R&R!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. NOTHING!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Explaining the Modern World**

Robin stared down at her bike. "It seems we have a problem," she mused. "We can't _all_ ride my bike back to the apartment… and I'd rather not leave it here."

"We could take the bus back while you take your bike," Erindi suggested practically. She had no qualms about being alone with the two men, now that she was sure of who they were… and that they weren't completely insane.

Robin grimaced. "And leave you alone with the two of them? I could never do such a thing to you!" She paused, thoughtful. "Perhaps two people could, if they both had good balance, take the bike back…"

Erindi gave her a look. "Robin, that's stupid. It's easier if we all just take the bus back while you take your bike. Less chance of an accident, at any rate."

Jack raised a finger as if to warn them he was about to interject his personal opinion of the matter. "If I may cut in for a moment... Before the two of you decide the fates of the two of us on the way back to this… _apartment_ of yours, I'd like to know just what exactly you mean by 'bus'." Aragorn nodded in agreement.

After taking a moment or two to fully take in what Jack had just said, Robin and Erindi shared a glance. "Oh boy…" Robin murmured. It had just occurred to both of them how very little both Jack and Aragorn knew of the world around them. There would be a lot of explaining to do, in order for them to get by… a hell of a lot of explaining.

After this knowledge sank in, Robin promptly reached for her bike. "Well, Erindi, I suppose you're right after all. I shall take my bike, and you three shall take the bus. That way, you can start explaining to them along the way, so we won't have so much work to do when we get back to the apartment!"

Erindi glanced at her friend wryly as she climbed onto her bike cheerfully and rode off, leaving them to walk across the street to the bus stop. She knew the only reason Robin had agreed was because she had no idea how to explain any of the modern world's inventions to people who had not even yet heard of electricity, or running water.

The problem was, neither did she. She led them over to the bus stop and stood with them for the few moments it took for the bus to arrive. When it did, she encountered her first problem.

"What _is_ that?" Aragorn all but shouted when the bus screeched to a stop in front of them. Both he and Jack jumped and reached for their swords when the doors snapped open. Erindi took one look at them, and immediately felt a headache coming on. This was going to take a lot of work.

"Guys, calm down. _This_ is a bus." She glanced down at their hands, which still rested on the hilts of their blades. "It's not alive, so don't go trying to kill it. It's made of metal." She hesitated, searching for the best way to explain a bus to them and ignoring the bus driver, who was yelling at her to either get in or out as she stood in the middle of the doorway. "It's a way of getting around… like a carriage."

"But where are the horses? How does it move?" Aragorn asked.

"It…" Erindi faltered. _How the hell do you explain something like automobile mechanics to people who've never heard of an engine before?_ "It's magic," she finally decided.

Aragorn and Jack nodded, accepting her logic, and warily followed her to the back of the bus. Along the way, they seemed to forget their previous worry as new thoughts crossed their minds.

"Is this how people dress these days?" Jack asked, waving his hand out in a gesture that took in the small crowd of people they had joined.

Erindi nodded. "Times change, people change… and the fashions change with 'em." She shrugged, as if to say that was the best explanation she had for it. "I personally think it's an improvement," she added, remembering what she'd read about 17th century fashions. "No corsets, no tight dresses… and only one or two layers of clothing."

"Elizabeth would love to hear that," Jack murmured, smiling.

Aragorn, however, had noticed something far more important than a change in clothing styles. "Why is no one armed? How do they defend themselves?" He turned his troubled grey eyes on Erindi, recalling that she, too, had no weapons, and had earlier been forced to use a book as a poor (but effective) substitute.

Erindi paused, and a grim look came into her face as she turned to look out the window, unable to meet his piercing gaze. "It's against the law. People these days are not supposed to carry weapons around, and they've got to get a permit just in order to own a gun in the first place." She'd hoped that Jack had already explained guns to Aragorn, since he still carried his pistol around; judging by the comprehending look on his face, she'd not been let down.

"What about the second question?" Jack said. "How do people defend themselves from no-good, black-hearted thieves and pirates," – here he couldn't help but grin – "such as myself, without a handy weapon?"

Erindi kept her gaze on the streets flashing by the window. "They're not supposed to have to. According to the way things _should_ be, since no one has guns, no one needs to worry about being attacked by someone with one."

"But that's not how it really works, is it?" Aragorn asked quietly.

Erindi shook her head. "There's always those who work around the law, who find a way to get a weapon or two without benefit of a permit. They're the ones who do the damage… and you can only hope it doesn't happen to you."

Her somewhat harsh words left Aragorn and Jack speechless, and she almost wished she hadn't said them. But it was the truth, and it wouldn't do to lie to them. After all, who knew how long they'd be stuck here? Besides, it was Robin's job to be the optimistic, hopeless romantic one. Of the two of them, Erindi was the realist. Perhaps that was why they got along – they balanced each other out. Robin cheered her up, and she kept Robin from getting too carried away… most of the time, anyway.

The rest of the bus ride was carried out in silence; it wasn't a long trip, anyway. Erindi knew Robin would be mad when she found out they hadn't really found out that much, but she didn't care. She didn't feel like explaining any more to them, and she was pretty sure they weren't ready to hear more yet anyway.

When they reached the stop in front of the apartment complex and climbed out of the bus, they found Robin waiting for them, having already put her bike up. She smiled as they stepped onto the pavement, imagining the looks they'd had on their faces when they'd first seen the bus. If only she'd stayed to watch.

"Have fun?" she teased. By now, Aragorn and Jack had recovered from their reality check with Erindi, and they were able to smile back at her.

Erindi, putting the dark thoughts from her mind as well, raised an eyebrow at Robin. "Since when is explaining fun?"

Robin shrugged, her grin widening. "Well, hey, at least you got to spend quality time with them, right?"

Erindi rolled her eyes. _Quality time… right… _"Sure, Robin." She started walking, leading the way to the apartment and hoping to get there before Robin found out she hadn't explained more than two things to their new guests.

"So, what'd'you guys think, now that Erindi's showed you around a bit?" Robin asked as they headed up the stairs of the complex and towards the apartment she and Erindi shared. She had been Robin's roommate for years now; she played guitar for a local band, local being another word for "poorly paid". She and Robin split the rent, making life a bit easier for both of them – financially, at least.

Aragorn and Jack shared a wary glance. "It's interesting," Jack said by way of reply.

Robin frowned. "Just 'interesting'? That's it?" Jack shrugged. Erindi quickly fumbled with her key and opened the door, letting herself in before Robin realized what was going on.

"I'm going to go practice guitar for a bit!" Erindi called out as she retreated to her room. As Robin closed the front door behind her, she heard a clicking sound behind her, and knew Erindi had locked the door to her room.

Her frown deepened, and she turned to face Jack and Aragorn with an annoyed but unsurprised look on her face. "She didn't explain anything to you, did she?" she asked resignedly.

Aragorn and Jack winced. "She explained what buses are, and why no one is armed," Aragorn told her.

Robin sighed and tugged on a lock of hair that had strayed from her bun. "Thanks very much, Erindi!" she yelled sarcastically. The muffled sounds of someone tuning a guitar was the only reply.

Robin took a deep breath and looked back at the two men. "Well, then, I guess it's up to me after all." She looked around, unsure where to start. "Kitchen first, I guess… not much to explain there." Leading them into the kitchen, she proceeded to explain stoves, refrigerators, running water, electricity and lights, microwaves, and phones. Her explanations, like Erindi's had, involved a lot of pauses, and usually ended with something about the item in question being magical.

"There's a lot of magic here, I see," Jack commented wryly as she led them back into the living room to continue her lesson.

Robin shot him a quick glance. "If you're asking for the truth, it's this: I have no idea how most of this stuff works. I don't know the how and why of it – and you don't need to, either." She grinned. "As long as you know how to work it, and what it does… does it really matter?"

"I suppose not," Jack shrugged. Aragorn remained silent, still trying to take it all in. Jack adapted more quickly than he did in situations like these.

After the living room, she led them into the bathroom for the final part of the tour. She explained toilets – extremely unhappily, it not being a pleasant subject – and turned to the shower. A blush stole over her face as she tried to figure out how to word this one. "This is a shower."

"As in, rain shower?" Aragorn asked, speaking for the first time during the tour.

Robin smiled brightly at him and nodded, glad for his unwitting help in her lecture. "Yes. It's like the sink – only you don't use it to wash your hands. You use it to take baths… standing up… like a waterfall or something, only not as big." She reached down and touched the handle. "If you pull this outward, it turns the water on." She motioned to the "H" and "C" on either side of the handle. "The 'H' stands for hot, and the 'C' is for cold. You turn the handle towards the hot side for warmer water, and towards the cold side for cooler. Be careful not to turn it too far either way – it's not entirely pleasant that way… unless you're Erindi," she added as an afterthought, thinking of how steamed up her friend always left the bathroom after taking a shower.

She turned to find Jack smiling that trademark smile of his at her, and caught herself smiling back. "What?"

Jack leaned casually against the wall. "I'm not quite sure I understand," he said, though it was obvious that both he and Aragorn had had no trouble comprehending the explanation.

Robin frowned. "And just which part didn't you get?" she demanded, wondering what was on the pirate's mind now.

Jack's grin widened a fraction. "I think we need a demonstration," he said, removing all question as to his motives for pretending not to understand. Aragorn drew a hand over his face, having been around Jack long enough to be used to this, yet still annoyed by it.

Robin felt her face grow hot. "I think you understand perfectly well," she shot back, embarrassed but trying to hide it. Just then, a thought occurred to her, and she switched gears and smiled at him, throwing both men off their guard. "However, if you really want a demonstration…" Before he could argue, she pushed Jack into the shower and pulled the handle, letting a shower of lukewarm water pour over the surprised man's head.

He turned to face her, scowling fiercely, and Robin and Aragorn burst out laughing. "You look like a wet cat!" Robin exclaimed as she turned the water back off.

This only made Jack glare more. "Thanks very much, love," he said sarcastically. "Now what am I supposed to do, now that my only pair of clothes are dripping wet?"

Robin's smile faded a bit as she pictured him strutting about the apartment and getting everything soaked in the process. "You're just going to have to stand in here until you dry off, I suppose," she replied as she and Aragorn walked out of the bathroom. "You certainly can't walk around my apartment like that. I'll throw you out if you do," she added threateningly, just in case he was considering it.

But Jack, as always, had a plan, and he was not to be put off by her teasing and threats. "All right, love," he said easily, leaning against the shower wall. "I won't come out until I'm dry."

Robin smiled, relieved. "Good." She paused, feeling kind of bad for him now that he wasn't fighting back. "Don't worry, we need to pick up some clothes for you two anyway so that you'll fit in better. We'll be back in no time, and when we do get home, you can change into dry clothes and come out. All right?"

Jack nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "All right."

Aragorn frowned as he followed Robin into the living room. "I have a bad feeling about this," he told her. "He's not the type to give up easily."

Robin shrugged, unconcerned. "Like I said, if he gets my apartment wet, he gets thrown out. He should know better than to risk losing the only place he's got to stay."

Aragorn offered no further argument, but he was far from convinced. Just because Jack was doing what she'd told him to do didn't mean he wasn't going to get himself into trouble anyway. Robin would come to learn this too, eventually. Unfortunately, it looked like she was going to have to learn it the hard way. Aragorn silently hoped he wasn't going to go too far this time, after all the kindness they'd been shown by these two women.


	3. Shopping

Woah, another chapter! Two in the same week! Robin's on a roll! Keep those reviews coming, people! XD

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing... except my own little creative inventions and imaginings.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Shopping**

"Erindi!" Robin yelled, banging on Erindi's bedroom door. She knocked incessantly, until her roommate finally put down her guitar and opened the door.

Erindi eyed her warily. "What do you want?"

"They need clothes," Robin answered simply.

"I'm not _that_ fat!" Erindi exclaimed, knowing full well what Robin meant but wanting to give her a hard time about it anyway.

Robin rolled her eyes. "Idjit. Look, since you were highly unhelpful in the explanations department…" Erindi groaned, seeing what was coming. "You can go buy clothes for them."

"Why don't you?" Erindi questioned, not being the shopping spree type.

Robin gave her a look. "First of all, because I just explained half the modern world to them, and then some. Secondly, because I don't really feel like it… and this is my apartment." Robin raised an eyebrow. "Besides, you've nothing better to do anyway."

Erindi opened her mouth to argue, but found she had nothing to say. Robin was right: what else was she going to do? Sighing, she grabbed her wallet and headed for the door. "Take one of them with you!" Robin called as she opened the door.

Erindi glanced back. Of the two men, Aragorn was the calmer one. It was more likely that he would help, and he and Jack were about the same size anyway. That was what she told herself as she motioned to him to follow. "If you don't mind, that is," she said as he pulled off his weapons and put them on the table, remembering how she'd said weapons weren't allowed in this society.

Aragorn smiled kindly at her. "I don't mind," he assured her as they walked out of the apartment and headed for the nearest mall. "Though… are we taking the bus?"

Erindi couldn't help but laugh at the concerned look on his face and the edge in his voice. "No, don't worry about that. We can walk." Aragorn's smile returned at this, making Erindi laugh again.

Meanwhile, Robin was stretched out on the couch, content to lie there and talk to Jack, whom she could hear clearly from the bathroom. She frowned as she heard a strange scuffling sort of noise coming from his direction. "Jack? What are you doing?" There was no reply, although the noise stopped. Her frown deepened, and she sat up. "Jack?"

Robin had not known Jack long enough to understand just how little modesty the man had in him when it came to things like clothing – or how stubborn and clever he was. He knew how to get what he wanted without technically breaking his promises – a talent he was putting to use right now. When he emerged from the bathroom, Robin shrieked in surprise and fell off the couch in a failed attempt to both get up and stand at the same time. True to his word, he was dry – he had wrung his hair out, and his hat. What had Robin blushing and covering her eyes, however, was the fact that the hat was the only piece of clothing he had on him. "You told me not to come out till I was dry, so I hung up my clothes in there and dried off." He was grinning widely, that same damned smile that was one of his defining characteristics.

Robin stood up shakily, her eyes closed and her hand on the couch to help her stand up right. "I didn't mean you could just walk around my apartment naked!" she cried, her voice cracking like a young boy's in her panic.

Jack shrugged. "I didn't think you'd mind, love." He swaggered over to her, still smiling, cool as you please. "I still don't think you mind."

Robin's blush deepened to an almost crimson color, and she stepped away from the sound of his voice, her eyes still clamped shut. "I do," she managed to say, though her voice was still a bit unsteady. "Go back in there and get dressed!"

She heard Jack laughing quietly, and opened her eyes to glare at him, determinedly keeping her gaze on his face and only his face. "Why?" he asked her simply.

Robin frowned, her wits scattered and her thoughts slow in coming. It was a good question. Now where was her good answer? "Because I said so!" she heard herself say. _You idiot,_ she thought, kicking herself mentally.

Jack tilted his head at her. "Is that your only reason, love?" he teased.

Robin glared at him again, trying desperately to stay mad in order to distract herself from… other things. "Because I don't want to see this much of you, that's why! Now go get dressed!" She pointed emphatically at the bathroom.

Jack shook his head and sat down on the couch. "Nah. Those clothes are damp, and probably cold now, too. You wouldn't want me to catch cold, would you?"

Robin narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm starting to think I do."

Jack pretended to look hurt. "That's harsh, love, really harsh. Aren't you going to apologize to me for it?"

"No. Now go!" She pointed again, this time somewhat desperately rather than angrily. She could tell this was a fight she wasn't going to win, and they both knew it.

Jack shook his head again. "No, don't think I will." Suddenly his grin returned, making Robin wary. "Why don't you just enjoy yourself? You can join me here on the couch – I won't mind, and I'm doubting you would either."

Robin felt her face grow warm again, and she found herself looking away from him. "Yes, I would," she said stubbornly to the floor.

Jack shrugged. "Suit yourself, but I'm here if you change your mind." Robin shot him another glare, and, finding her efforts to have been a complete waste of time, stormed out of the room and onto the balcony to get some fresh air… and to escape his maddeningly charming presence.

Meanwhile, Erindi and Aragorn were standing in the middle of Sear's, picking out clothes for him and Jack. Having determined the size, it was now up to them to find the plainest, cheapest things the store could offer. Aragorn frowned as he picked up a black shirt, plain save for six white letters printed on the front, spelling out the word "closer". He gave Erindi a puzzled look. "Why does this shirt say 'closer' on the front? Is it supposed to mean something?"

Erindi's eyes widened and she snatched the shirt away from him, throwing it back into the bargain bin. "It's the name of a popular song," she explained shortly, not wanting to say more. It was an awkward topic, considering the lyrics of the Nine Inch Nails song. She only hoped he wouldn't inquire further.

Luckily for her, he didn't. Instead, he cocked his head and listened as someone on the Sears staff turned the radio on over the store speakers, letting the sounds of Matchbox Twenty fill the empty spaces of silence. "Is that music coming from one of those radios you told us about?" he asked.

"Sort of," she replied. "Someone took a radio and hooked it up to speakers throughout the store…" Catching the look on his face, she shrugged. "Magic," she finished lamely.

Aragorn smiled a little and nodded, remembering how Robin had said magic was the term she and Erindi used when they didn't know how to explain how something worked. He turned back to the clothing bin and went back to picking out clothes.

Soon, they had gathered between the two of them enough clothes for both Aragorn and Jack, and they headed over to the cashier. Erindi sighed and pulled out her wallet as the woman began ringing up the clothes, watching the price on the screen go higher and higher with each item. _Who needs food anyway?_ she mused silently as she handed over most of her wallet's contents. Unlike Robin, who had a distinct love for food (especially her favorites, spaghetti and chocolate), Erindi was convinced that you could live without it – though she had to admit it was nice not to have to.

Aragorn followed her out of the store with a troubled look on his face. "What were those papers you handed over to that woman?"

Erindi paused, realizing that neither he nor Jack used paper money. Quickly, she explained about dollars and their worth and how they represented actual gold and all that. Aragorn listened intently, and when she was done, he nodded, understanding. He pulled out a small bag from one of his pockets and dug through it for a moment, eventually handing her a gold coin. Erindi's eyes widened as he dropped it into her hand without so much as a second thought. "I can't accept this," she murmured, trying to hand it back to him. She hated charity – and this, in her eyes, was charity.

"You must." Aragorn smiled at her. "It is payment for both your hospitality and our clothes. If I understand your money system here correctly, this covers both quite efficiently."

"It more than covers it," Erindi replied. She tried to hand it back again, but Aragorn shook his head.

"Keep it," he told her as they exited the mall. "It means more to you than it does to me, and it will make me feel better. Please, keep it."

Erindi glowered but pocketed the money, knowing it would do no good to keep trying to give it back – in fact, it would almost be insulting. She didn't like taking his money – or anyone's, for that matter – but she knew she would need it in the future.

When they reached the apartment, Erindi unlocked the door and started to open it, but stopped when Robin cried out on the other side of it. "Don't!"

Erindi frowned, shooting a worried glance at Aragorn. "Robin, what is it?"

Robin dashed across the room to block Erindi's view before she could open the door and see Jack, who was still on the couch. "Don't come in yet!"

Aragorn, having an incredible intuition and having spent many a year with Jack, didn't take long to guess part of the situation at hand. "Jack did something, didn't he?" Robin blushed, making both Erindi and Aragorn frown more. Aragorn, afraid Jack had lost his sense (as he seemed to have a tendency to do, though he somehow always made it right in the end), asked, "Are you all right?"

Robin frowned, then alternately paled and blushed again as she understood the meaning of his words. "Yes, I'm all right. He's just… being stupid." She shot an angry glare back at the pirate behind her, whose only response was to laugh. "Just… give me his clothes, and I'll let you in after a moment."

Erindi raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you need clothes?"

Robin bit her lip in indecision, then sighed. "Because he's not wearing any." Erindi and Aragorn blinked. "He promised not to come out of the bathroom till he was dry… so he took off his wet clothes, dried off, and came out." She covered her face with her hands a moment, to hide her blush.

Erindi and Aragorn shared a glance. "Oh." Aragorn handed over one of the bags of clothes, and they stepped back and let Robin close the door, neither wanting to see that much of Captain Jack Sparrow.

After a few moments of arguing, Robin convinced Jack to put the clothes on, and let the others in when he was fully dressed again. Erindi glanced at him but said nothing as he lounged on the couch in his new jeans and black t-shirt. Robin grinned a little, noticing that jeans didn't look that bad on him at all. Breathing in relief, she turned and went into the kitchen to fix dinner.


	4. Morning in the City

Yes, at last, I give you... CHAPTER FOUR! In actuality, not very much happens in this chapter... mostly, it's just the rituals of everyone waking up, and some slight insight into Jack and Aragorn's feelings... Mostly, it's just for fun. Anyway... enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. Did you expect any different?

* * *

**Chapter Four: Morning in the City**

The next morning, Aragorn was the first to awaken. Given the living arrangements, Jack had ended up sleeping on the couch, while Aragorn had volunteered for the floor. He stretched a little and sat up, a bit stiff but otherwise all right. It was better than sleeping on bare dirt and rocks, that was for sure, and he was grateful for the blankets and pillows he and Jack had been given the night before. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he stood and went into the bathroom to change, not wanting to surprise one of the girls or Jack, should any of them wake up this early – for, being a Ranger at heart, he had woken up at dawn's first light. Having pulled on some jeans and a clean shirt, he went out on the balcony to survey the world around him in the light of the rising sun… and to think.

A few hours later, Robin emerged from her room, looking tired and slightly more dressed-up than the day before. Though she hadn't noticed, she'd subconsciously thought of impressing the two men as she dressed that morning, and she'd even put on a bit of make-up and let her hair loose as a result. Stretching lazily, she looked around the apartment to see who was awake… and who needed to be woken up. She frowned when she saw Aragorn leaning on the railing of the balcony outside, deep in thought. As of yet, he hadn't even noticed her.

She walked over quietly, her head tilted to the side as she approached him. "Morning."

Jumping a little, Aragorn had to force his instincts down painfully to keep from pulling out a weapon and scaring the daylights out of his hostess. "Morning," he returned, nodding his head to her and smiling faintly.

"You all right?" Despite everything she knew he'd been through, Robin hadn't doubted for a second that even a battle-hardened Ranger could get homesick. Unfortunately for Aragorn, she was right.

He shrugged as he turned his smoky grey eyes back on the scene below them. "I've been through worse than this. Thank you again for…"

Robin raised a hand, interrupting him. "Stop thanking me! I know you're grateful for a place to sleep and food to eat and friends to help you and all… but you don't have to keep telling me so. I know." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I know. Your welcome." She smiled and winked at him as she walked away, deciding it was well past time for everyone else to wake up. Aragorn rolled his eyes and smiled a little as he watched her go over to Jack first, intending to wake him up, knowing that, whatever it was Jack was doing, he always managed to make a scene while doing it.

Robin laughed softly when she saw how Jack was sprawled across the couch – one foot on the back of the couch, one hanging off the side, his right arm up behind his head and his left arm resting across his chest. His ever-present hat was tilted down over his face, hiding his eyes from view, and his mouth twitched as he dreamed.

After a moment of enjoying the view, Robin crouched down next to the sleeping man and shook his arm. "Jack," she said quietly, hoping to wake him without startling him. Jack's only response was to mumble something unintelligible in her general direction. She frowned. "Jack," she tried again, this time louder. Jack raised a hand for a moment and waved it as if swatting away a fly. Robin shook his arm again, slightly annoyed now. "Jack!" she exclaimed, but his only response was to shift his position so he was facing more away from her.

Aragorn chuckled quietly as he watched the proceedings from his spot on the balcony. Robin spared a glance to glare at him as she pondered the problem. "Shut up, Aragorn. Just shut up." Aragorn only laughed again, unconcerned by the look of death she shot him when she heard.

"Perhaps a cold glass of water will do the trick," he suggested, smirking, as Robin sat in thought. Robin pursed her lips; that could work… Or she could just shove him really hard off the couch and not waste water.

Moving behind the couch, she leaned over and got ready to push Jack… but at that instant, whatever dream Jack was having took a nasty turn, and he jerked awake, grabbing at her arms out of surprise as he did so. Robin, surprised by his sudden awakening, lost her balance and fell forward… and soon, the two of them were tangled up in each other in the floor, each just as surprised and confused as the other. Jack, having ended up on top, looked down at Robin with a question in his eyes.

Robin offered a weak smile and shrugged. "I was trying to wake you up," she explained simply. She raised an eyebrow at him, wanting her own questions answered. "What were you dreaming that had you so rattled?"

Jack's smile, which had appeared the moment he had noticed their positions, faded a little, and his eyes darkened as he remembered the nightmare. "Nothing," he answered, moving off of her to sit on the floor beside her.

Robin sat up as well, putting a hand on his shoulder as she regarded him with pity in her eyes. "Nothing, huh?" she returned softly. "I never knew nothing could be so scary."

Jack glanced at her, as if he meant to tell her, but before he opened his mouth, he changed his mind again and simply shook his head. Robin sighed and hugged him for a moment before standing up. "If you ever want someone to talk to, I'm always ready to listen," she murmured, smiling down at him. Jack watched silently as she went over to Erindi's door to wake up the last sleeping person in the apartment.

Robin put her hands on her hips and contemplated her choice of action for the morning. Erindi was always hell to wake up, and Robin still hadn't come across an easy way of doing so even after all the years they'd known each other. Finally, she decided on the loudest and simplest form of trying to wake someone up – kick the door really, really hard. She grabbed a pair of boots from her room and put them on before coming back out… and began executing her plan. "Erindi!" she yelled as she kicked at the door. After a few moments, she paused, and put an ear to the door to see if Erindi had awoken.

Meanwhile, Erindi (who had, for once, woken up) stood on the other side of the door, dressed and wearing her own pair of boots. She was more than tired of being woken up by Robin every morning before ten o' clock (which, she deemed, was still a bit early to wake up, but at least not unbearable), and today she'd decided to get back at her. She waited till she was sure Robin was listening at the door, then smiled… and kicked the door back.

Robin shrieked in her surprise and fell backwards, her arms flailing in a pinwheel motion as she stumbled into a sitting position on the floor. Erindi, smirking, opened the door and looked down at her friend. "Morning, Robin," she said as she walked past her to go and make some very, very black coffee. Aside from dramatics from Robin, every morning for her started with a nice big dose of caffeine.

Robin glared as she pulled herself to a standing position. "Stupid human…" she muttered as she followed Erindi to the kitchen to make breakfast – pancakes, she decided as she searched the cupboards for food. She frowned when a pair of arms circled her waist while she cooked. It didn't take much logical deduction to come to the conclusion of whom the arms belonged to. "Jack," she said warningly, raising the spatula in her hand.

Jack smirked but didn't move. "You're not going to hit me with that," he murmured in her ear.

Robin blushed a little but didn't lower the spatula. "That's what you think, buster. Move!"

Jack smiled. "Would you like to know how I know you're not going to hit me with that?" he continued, his lips brushing against her ear.

Robin felt her knees go a little weak and she leaned a hand against the counter in what she could only hope was an inconspicuous manner. Erindi, having made her coffee, glanced over at them in disgust and fled to the living room to escape their discussion. "Do tell," Robin managed to answer, trying as hard as she could to sound like she didn't care, and failing miserably.

"I know that you're not going to hit me with that, because you don't want to hit me with that. If you were to hit me with that, you would then have to get a new spatula, since this one would then have touched me and would therefore not be fit for cooking… and in said search for a new spatula, you no doubt would burn the pancakes, and have to start the whole process again, savvy?"

Robin blinked and leaned a little more on the counter, her head spinning from his confusing – yet some how reasonable – logic. "Truly, you have a dizzying intellect," she replied as she lowered the spatula and continued cooking.

Jack grinned when she didn't try again to make him move. Robin told herself it was only because it wasn't worth it to argue with him anymore, since it distracted her from the pancakes… though it didn't seem like a very convincing reason, even in her own mind.

Meanwhile, Aragorn had joined Erindi on the couch, and was now enjoying a much calmer conversation with her than Robin was having with Jack. "So, this… caffeine… helps you wake up?"

Erindi nodded. "It's not exactly the best-tasting stuff in the world, but it works." She glanced at him. "You can have some, if you like." She held out her cup for him so he could taste it first.

Aragorn eyed the dark concoction warily but took it from her and raised it to his lips. _Try everything once, I suppose,_ he thought. The look on his face as the coffee burned a path down his throat was priceless.

Robin and Jack burst out laughing when they came in to see Aragorn's expression as he handed the coffee back to Erindi, who was also failing to hide her amusement. "What did you do to him?" Robin asked as she handed out the pancakes to everyone before sitting down to enjoy her own.

"He… wanted to try the coffee…" Erindi offered weakly, still trying not to laugh. She glanced at Aragorn. "Sorry," she murmured, to which he could only nod.

Robin's eyes widened as she turned to Aragorn. "I'm sorry, too! Lesson one of life in this world – never eat or drink anything Erindi makes."

Aragorn laughed a little as Erindi glared at Robin. "I'm not THAT bad at cooking," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at Robin. Ever since she had managed to somehow burn water a few years ago (as well as a few other things – and explode a microwave), Robin had had a good time of it making fun of her cooking, though she had improved her skills greatly since then.

Robin shrugged and leaned back, having finished eating. "So, what are we gonna to do today, gang?" she asked, looking around for suggestions.

"I have a few ideas," Jack offered slyly, slipping an arm around her waist.

Robin rolled her eyes, having already realized that he was going to be like this 24/7. "I'm sure you do," she replied shortly, ignoring the look in his eyes and turning her face to Erindi and Aragorn instead. "What about you all?"

"I would like to see more of this world, if you don't mind showing us around," Aragorn suggested.

Robin nodded. "Now that I can live with." She stood, brushing Jack's arm away as she did so and grabbing her purse as she headed for the door. "C'mon, people, let's go!"

"Right now?" Erindi asked as she snatched up her wallet and followed Robin, Jack, and Aragorn out the door.

Robin shrugged. "Why not? We've nothing else better to do. DON'T say it, Jack," she added as the pirate opened his mouth to voice his own opinion. He shrugged and slipped an arm around her again as the four of them stepped out of the lobby of the apartment complex and into the bright sunny streets of California.


	5. Welcome to California

OMFG. Another chapter? Is it true? Can it really be? YES! IT IS! XD

Please excuse my apparent spasm up there. I'm just kinda bored lately. Anyway... yes, here you go, folks. At last, I give you... Chapter Five. Please, hold your applause. (silence) Right. Well, first of all, mucho thanks to my part-time beta reader **Angela teh Punk Hippie Platypus**, and to Aragorn and Jack for allowing me to write about them... and to the makers of _Road to El Dorado_ for a bit of inspiration (you shall see!). Oh yes, and to the month of April, for providing for me a random name for a random character. XD And I apologize to Applebee's, for saying that their menus say they serve chicken fingers, even though I believe they're actually called chicken tenders. (Once again, you'll see!) Now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer**: I own the universe!... Except for that dark, shadowy place over there... That belongs to Tolkien and Disney. (sigh)

* * *

**Chapter Five: Welcome to California**

Aragorn and Jack looked around with wide eyes. Until now, they hadn't really stopped to take in their surroundings; it was as if they were seeing it all for the first time. Cars, buses and taxis whizzed by in blurs of various colors, while tall buildings of stark concrete and paned-glass windows shot up like arrows into the clear blue sky. The sun shone hot and bright down onto the paved streets and cracked sidewalks, causing stray soda cans and lost bits of change to shine like silver. Through it all, people in jeans and t-shirts, dress suits and dresses walked, talking on cell-phones or flying by on skates and skateboards. To Aragorn and Jack, it was like they'd entered a completely different dimension… and, indeed, all the evidence said that was exactly what had happened.

Robin pulled a pair of shades out and slipped them on, hiding her sparkling green eyes behind two dark lenses. "So, what shall we do first?" Erindi asked, as she pulled out her own pair of sunglasses.

"Sightseeing!" Robin answered, grinning widely. She pointed down the sidewalk. "Follow that trail!"

Erindi's mouth twitched with the signs of a smile. "What trail?" she asked gamely as Robin acted out a scene from the cartoon, _The Road to El Dorado_.

Robin's grin widened. "The trail that we blaze!" She paused, squinted down the sidewalk, and abruptly turned to face the opposite direction. "_That_ trail that we blaze!" she amended, finishing the scene, and started walking. Sharing a bemused glance, Aragorn and Jack followed Robin and Erindi down the sidewalks of Sacramento.

After a few hours of simply walking and taking in everything (and further explanations of what skyscrapers, skateboards, roller-skates, airplanes, etc. were), the group headed over to Applebee's for lunch. As they sat at one of the corner booths and picked up the menus, a frown crossed Jack face. "What is it?" Robin asked, concerned.

"Chicken… _fingers_?" he asked, a note of disgust in his voice. The way he said it left no room for confusing why he thought it was gross. In fact, Robin was starting to look at it differently too.

"Eh… they're not really fingers, Jack. They're just called that. It just means strips of chicken, that's all," Robin explained, suddenly deciding to order pasta instead.

"Molded meat," Erindi added unhelpfully. Being a vegetarian, she didn't find the chicken fingers very appetizing herself.

Jack and Aragorn both looked unhappy at the thought of _molded meat_. Robin sighed, used to the fact that, when she wanted to, Erindi could make any dish, no matter how tasty, sound like crap if it included meat in it. Normally, she didn't try to – she respected other people's choice of diets, even if she didn't like them – but sometimes, she couldn't resist slipping in a remark or two – especially if it was Robin, who knew better than to take her too seriously. "It is _not_ molded meat. It is meat, yes, but it is not referred to as _molded meat._"

"Doesn't matter what you call it. A rose by any other name…" Erindi replied, not needing to finish the sentence.

Robin glared at her. "Shush. The point is," she said, turning back to Jack, "is that it is not actually chicken _fingers._"

"I would hope not," Jack replied, knowing (as, hopefully, everyone else knows) that chickens do not, in fact, have fingers – at least, not the normal chickens. Maybe the chickens on Planet X do, but not Earth-chickens. Earth-chickens have claws, claws which are not, in fact, very edible. "They still shouldn't be called chicken fingers."

"Oh, Jack, it's just a name," Robin said dismissively, putting her menu down as she waited for a waiter or waitress to come to the table.

"But it's _gross_," he complained, not willing to let it go (mostly because he hated losing an argument). Robin looked at him. "And it's a lie. They should be called 'chicken chunks' instead. That at least would describe them better."

"Oh yeah, _that_ sounds yummy," Robin countered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "C'mon Jack, who would order something called 'chicken chunks'?"

"The same people who would order something called 'chicken fingers'," Jack replied, his tone of voice matching hers.

"Robin," Aragorn interjected, "don't. You'll just get him worked up. He overreacts easily sometimes. He likes the attention."

"I do _not_ overreact!" Jack exclaimed, irritated and sounding like an 8-year-old. So much for maturity.

Robin and Erindi both snickered at his reaction, and Jack put his menu down and pouted in silence until a pretty blonde waitress approached their table. "Hi! My name's April," she said, introducing herself in a cheerful (but not annoyingly so) voice, smiling a brilliantly attractive smile that would get any man's attention. "May I take your orders?"

Jack's face cleared, and he stopped pouting as she turned her blue eyes to him first. "Of course you may," he answered, quirking one of his charming smiles at her, causing the girl to smile appreciatively. Robin squirmed in her seat, disliking the flirting going on between Jack and April without seeing any reason to. As far as she was concerned, he could do whatever he wanted. She didn't care… right? Jack's voice broke her train of thoughts as he ordered. "I'll have the chicken chunks. Oh, and do you have any rum?"

Robin and Erindi looked up, struggling between laughter and disdain. Aragorn rolled his eyes, having had three years of experience to get used to Jack's antics. The waitress simply looked confused. "Chicken chunks?" she repeated, deciding to take his order one part at a time. "Do you mean the chicken fingers?"

"I mean what I said," Jack replied, casting a stubborn glance at Robin.

Robin rolled her eyes at him and turned to the poor, befuddled waitress. "He's just being stupid," she explained, ignoring Jack's indignant protests. "Yes, he means the chicken fingers."

April nodded and wrote it on her notepad. Remembering his request for rum, she winced and shrugged at him. "And, I'm sorry, sir—"

"Jack," he interrupted, causing Robin to squirm again. He saw it out of the corner of his eye, and smiled a little to himself. The fact that the waitress was pretty wasn't the only reason he was flirting with her.

"—Jack," the waitress amended with another beautiful smile. "We don't have any rum. Can I get you something else to drink?"

Jack's eyes widened. No rum? How were they still in business? He didn't understand why any self-respecting restaurant wouldn't carry any rum. It wasn't just illogical – it was an outrage! But before he could voice his opinion, Robin jumped back into the conversation again, saving the waitress from further confusion. "He'll be fine with a beer," she said, indicating one of the many choices on the menu. She proceeded then to order for herself, and Jack was forced to remain quiet as Erindi and Aragorn, too, told the waitress their orders.

"Why is there no rum?" Jack demanded, once April disappeared into the kitchen with their various requests.

Robin and Erindi both rolled their eyes. "Because it's _disgusting_," Erindi told him, emphasizing the word with the vehemence of one who knows from experience.

Jack's eyes widened again. "Take it back!" he ordered her, shocked that anyone would think his beloved rum tasted anything but delicious.

"Calm down, before you get us thrown out," Aragorn said wearily to Jack.

"I am calm," Jack replied, all but sticking his tongue out at the Ranger. Just then, April returned to the table, handing out the drinks they'd ordered a few minutes ago. As she turned to leave again to go back to the kitchen, Jack caught her around the waist and pulled her back to the table, intending to ask her about the rum issue. Robin opened her mouth to tell Jack that people weren't allowed to do that anymore and that he could get arrested for harassment, but the words died on her lips. It wasn't hard to see that April liked the attention. Snapping her mouth shut again, Robin stared at the salt shaker on the table and glared at it, as if it were the source of her problems.

"Excuse me, love," Jack said to the waitress, making Robin cringe, "but, may I ask you something?"

"Anything," she answered happily.

"How is it that such a successful and thriving establishment as this has come so far without serving the delectable drink that is commonly known as rum?"

Robin groaned in irritation as the waitress took a moment to go over his words, trying to understand. "I'm not sure," she answered slowly, once she'd puzzled out his meaning.

"Ignore him," Robin said, breaking into their conversation and pulling Jack's arm off of April's waist. "He's just trying to stir up trouble. Is our food ready yet?"

Still slightly off-balance, April shook her head. "Not yet, but I'll check on it again." Still pondering over Jack's mention of the rum, she walked back into the kitchen as Jack turned to glare at Robin.

"It's rude to interrupt, you know," he said irritably, having been seriously wanting to know why there was no rum.

Robin shrugged and went back to staring at the salt shaker. The food came before long, and Jack waived his chance to flirt with April again, his stomach winning over his curiosity as to how Robin would react to it. If there was one thing he and Robin had in common, it was that they both loved to eat, yet never gained a pound. Robin's plate was piled high with pasta (plain except for salt and butter, just the way she liked it), while Jack's was full of large and tasty-looking chicken 'chunks'. Erindi, on the other hand, had only a small salad, and Aragorn had a normal-sized serving of soup.

When they finished their main courses, April returned to ask if anyone wanted dessert. A smile flashed across Jack's lips, and Robin pretended not to notice when April winked at him, catching his hint at innuendo. "I'll have the chocolate cake," she said, interrupting them again.

Satisfied with Robin's snappy tone of voice, Jack nodded. "I'll have the same," he said calmly. Erindi and Aragorn refused; Aragorn because he was full, and Erindi because she worried about eating too much and getting overweight, even though she was already slightly underweight. Aragorn glanced at her but said nothing, knowing it was not yet his place to tell her how to eat.

When Robin and Jack finished eating their desserts (which they did with much bickering), Erindi and Robin split the check, and the four of them left the restaurants with full stomachs and cheerful countenances. So far, the day had passed enjoyably. The rest of the day was full of promise – and it did not disappoint.

After Applebee's, the group headed to a nearby park, and after that, to the famous beaches that were the staple of any tourist's trip to California. As they walked along the sand (for none of them had thought to bring bathing suits along, and Erindi and Robin adamantly refused to go skinny-dipping), they talked – of anything and everything that came to mind. Aragorn spoke of Middle-Earth, of the memories both good and bad he still carried in his heart. Erindi talked about her band, and how she was planning on getting a job so she could move out of Robin's apartment, despite Robin's protests that she preferred sharing the rent with Erindi anyway. Robin herself talked about her art – she was a photographer and a painter, aside from running her bookstore. Jack, when it was his turn to talk, told them about the love of his life – the _Black Pearl_. His eyes shone as he described every inch of her, from the black sails that graced her three masts to the rivets that held the dark wood of the decks and hull together. No matter how small the details, no matter how seemingly insignificant the information, Jack managed to make every word beautiful, flourishing every sentence with a wild hand gesture and a meaningful look in his eyes. Even Aragorn, who had never had much to do with ships, was impressed.

"You miss her a lot, don't you?" Robin asked softly.

Jack shrugged a little. "I was sent to Middle-Earth three years ago," he replied. "I haven't seen her since the day I woke up in Bree." He stole a glance at the glittering expanse of the sea, his eyes searching as if he were hoping to see his ship on the sunset-lit horizon. It hurt him to be parted from her again, after fighting so hard for so long to keep her alive and under his captainship, and he wondered for the thousandth time if she was still afloat, if she was in good hands.

It nearly broke Robin's heart to see that look in his eyes, and she wondered briefly if she'd somehow fallen in love with him, even though they'd only just met. "You'll see her again," she whispered, taking his hand. She hadn't known him for very long, but she could tell from his speech about the ship, and the expression on his face, that he loved that ship more than she could possibly imagine. She wished there were some way to ease his pain, but there was nothing she could think of to do.

"I know," Jack whispered, but Robin wondered if he really did.

The rest of the walk continued mainly in silence, and by the time the sun had set, the four of them were dragging their feet and struggling to keep their eyes open. It had been a long and draining day, both emotionally and physically, and it was beginning to tell on them. "I think it's time we got home," Erindi yawned as they left the beach behind them.

"Let's take the bus," Robin proposed, dreading the thought of walking all the way back to the apartment complex. Aragorn and Jack winced, but didn't complain; they didn't relish the thought of a long walk home, either. The group caught a bus at the nearest bus stop not ten minutes later, and went to sit in the back immediately, away from the strange folk that tended to acclimate to the buses of California at night. They talked to keep awake, but soon the conversations gave way to sleepy silence, and soon all four of them were sound asleep in the back of a bus with no one to wake them up for their stop but the bus driver – and he wasn't bound to notice them any time soon.


	6. Downtown

OmG. A new chapter! Yes, I know... I've been away far too long. (Or not long enough, depending on your opinion of me... sigh...) But yes, my muses have returned (evil though they may be at times) and are helping me to write - and, hopefully, finish in the near future - this fanfic... so that I can get on to the sequel! (Yes, there is a planned sequel... why this is so will become clear to you as this fanfic draws to a close...) But, enough foreshadowing on the author's part! On to the new chapter! Remember, read, review, and enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I own Jack. I don't care what Disney says. (is subsequently attacked by a giant Mickey Mouse float manned by various Disney corporate executives, as well as Gore Verbinski and Jerry Bruckheimer)

**AN:** I apologize for the random disclaimer. As I said, my muses have returned... for better or for worse. o.O

* * *

**Chapter Six: Downtown**

"Oi! You there!" Aragorn, being the only person in the company of four with the ability to be woken up easily early in the morning, jumped at the sound of the rough voice. "Wake up!"

His brow furrowing in confusion, Aragorn forced his eyes open and looked around, and nearly jumped again at the sight of his surroundings. Slowly, as his mind slowly adjusted to consciousness, he recalled the previous night's events. With a fair measure of concern, he realized that he and the others had fallen asleep, and were still on the bus they'd planned to take back home. Glancing out the window, it wasn't too hard to tell that a lot of time had passed since then. "What time is it?" he asked the bus driver in a sleep-induced drawl.

"Two o'clock in the morning sir – and time for my shift to end!" The bus driver stood over Aragorn, trying with all of his four feet ten inches to loom over the Ranger. "Wake up your friends, and get off my bus so I can go home!"

Aragorn nodded drowsily, still a bit bemused by it all, and gently shook Erindi's arm. Erindi, who normally needed a freight-train or something of equal power to wake her up, slowly cracked one eyelid open. The combined noise of the bus driver and discomfort of the bus seats was enough, just this once, to allow her to be roused like a normal person. "What do you want?" she mumbled.

"We're still on the bus," Aragorn whispered.

At this, Erindi's eyes snapped wide open. "What!" she exclaimed. Looking around, she saw the truth in Aragorn's words, and groaned. "Crap," she muttered, ever the eloquent speaker. "All right, let's wake up the lovebirds." She turned away from Aragorn to face Robin and Jack, who were sitting on the other side of her. She pinched Robin's arm.

Robin jerked and opened her eyes to glare at Erindi. Her movement caused Jack to stir as well, and he too shot Erindi an unfriendly look. "What the hell was that for?" Robin demanded, rubbing her arm.

Erindi pointed to Jack. "It was him," she answered.

Robin, having just woken up, didn't consider the fact that it would be just like Erindi to blame Jack for havoc that, in truth, had really been wreaked by her. Instead, she turned to glare at Jack. "What'd you do that for?"

Jack, who had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, frowned. "What?"

Robin rolled her eyes at him. "You know perfectly well." She pinched him.

Jack jerked, his frown deepening. "What was that for?"

Robin stared at him. "What do you mean, 'what was that for'?"

"Which part didn't you understand?" Jack shot back. "I want to know why you pinched me!"

"Right is right and fair is fair. You pinched me first!"

"What? I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Aragorn rolled his eyes. "Enough!" Surprised, Robin and Jack both turned to look at him. "In the course of a lifetime, does it really matter who pinched who?"

Robin and Jack shared a glance. "Yes," they replied at the same time.

Aragorn drew a hand across his face, feeling a headache coming on. Erindi smiled and put a hand on his arm. "Will you all please hurry it up and get off my bus!" the bus driver interjected, annoyed at being both forgotten and, thus far, pretty much ignored.

Nodding grudgingly, the four friends stepped off the bus. It was only as the bus was disappearing around the corner that Erindi and Robin realized: this was not home. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto," Robin murmured to Erindi, who rolled her eyes in reply.

"You mean, you don't know where we are?" Jack asked, a tad nervously.

Robin and Erindi shot him a glance. "We didn't say that," Erindi answered. "This isn't exactly home, but I know where we are."

"That makes one of us," Robin commented. "Please, enlighten me." Instead of replying verbally, Erindi pointed at a house down a couple streets to their right. Robin's face lit up in recognition, glad to see a familiar sight. "Ah, so that's where we are!"

It was Aragorn and Jack's turn to share a look. "Where, exactly, are we?" Aragorn asked gently.

"Downtown," Erindi replied. "That house down there belongs to a friend of ours. We can't walk home from here, but chances are we can stay at her house for the night."

"I'd hate to wake her up at this time of night," Robin said.

Erindi gave her a sidelong glance. "Would you rather sleep outside?"

Robin sighed, and followed Erindi down the sidewalk. "I was just saying," she muttered, sticking her hands in her pockets.

As they walked, they passed various testaments to the conditions of the nightlife in the neighborhood they'd wandered into. Underneath one streetlamp, a young woman at least a few years younger than either Erindi or Robin offered her services for money; down a darkened alley a few yards away, a group of runaway teens were huddled around a small fire they'd started in a trashcan, smoking joints and laughing loudly. Aragorn and Jack instinctively moved so that Robin and Erindi stood between them as they walked, despite the fact that the two women knew much more about their surroundings than they did. Robin glanced at Jack, noticing the change. "Don't worry," she whispered with a crooked smile. "I'll protect you."

"Is your friend anything like them?" Aragorn asked in a concerned voice, indicating the drugged teens as they passed them by.

Robin looked at him sharply. "No, Aragorn, she's not."

Aragorn winced, realizing Robin had taken his words as an insult. "I apologize. I didn't mean it like that. It's just… the town we're in doesn't seem like a very friendly one, and I wondered why she would live here."

"We can't all pick where we live," Robin replied, her voice calmer now that he'd apologized. "Ella's parents bought this house for her; she can't afford to move on her own yet, and she refuses to ask them for any more than they've already given her."

Aragorn nodded understandingly. "Luckily for her, and for us," Erindi put in, "her parents are rich. They bought her the biggest house on the block; she should have more than enough spare rooms for all of us."

"Oh, but I wouldn't mind sharing," Jack said with a grin, putting his arm around Robin's waist. Robin rolled her eyes at him, but made no attempt to move his arm.

"So when do you think they're finally going to get together?" Erindi asked Aragorn in a stage whisper. "I think a month should do it."

Robin's cheeks colored, and Jack's grin widened. "I give them about… a week," Aragorn replied with a grin of his own.

Robin opened her mouth to object, but Jack beat her to it. "No, no, you're both wrong," he said. "Three days!"

Robin turned to stare at him, her mouth hanging open. He gave her one of his "What? I'm innocent!" looks, and she shook her head, composing herself. "You two," she said, pointing at Erindi and Aragorn. "Shut up! And you…" she turned back to Jack, but forgot what she'd been about to say when she unexpectedly locked gazes with him. "You… never mind," she snapped, exasperated, and turned her face forward just in time to smash it against the door of her friend's house. While they had been arguing, the four of them had arrived at Ella's doorstep, and Robin (as usual) had been the only one not to notice, and therefore had not stopped walking. Wincing and rubbing her now-sore nose, she stepped back to glare at the door.

"It's not the door's fault, you know," Erindi said when she saw the look on Robin's face. "A simple knock would have sufficed."

Robin gritted her teeth but said nothing. She reached over and pressed the doorbell a few times, then stepped back again and waited for Ella to arrive. Upstairs, a bedroom window lit up, and a few moments later, the door was opened to reveal the occupant of the house – who was, on account of the time, very unhappy to see them.

"What do you want?" she demanded, her words slurred by her drowsiness. Her hair was still sleep-mussed, despite her brief attempt to fix it by running her fingers through it, and her light green eyes were half-hidden under heavy lids. In the darkness of the street, she didn't even notice Jack and Aragorn – though she did, after a moment's pause, recognize Erindi and Robin. "What are you doing here this time of night! Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"That's a fine way to greet us!" Robin replied cheerfully, embracing her friend warmly. Erindi, too, hugged Ella before she and the guys followed Robin into the large (and slightly fancy) house.

Ella closed the door behind them and reached out to flick the light switch for the room on. It was only then that Ella noticed the two strangers accompanying her long-time friends, and she gasped a little at the sight of them. "Who… who are they?" she demanded, her eyes suddenly bright and alert. Robin and Erindi shared a panicked glance; what were they going to tell her?


	7. Together

OMFG. New chapter! Sorry for the long, long, looooong wait, but I had a serious case of writer's block, not to mention I was diagnosed with actually having a life (or at least pretending to) for a while... you know how those things tend to get in the way. But I am back - at least for now, I make no promises - and I am SO psyched about finishing this story! There are only two or three chapters left, amigos, but I promise that the end of this fanfic won't mark the end of this story... there will be a sequel. There's a good reason why I tell you this, I promise you. Just remember - the end is not really the end, just another beginning! Happy (late) holidays, and Happy (also late) New Year! I wish you all the best, and I thank you all for sticking with me and reading my stuff!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. I do not own Lord of the Rings. I do not own Ella (she belongs to herself - **Ella Ynrihan**). And I do not own Erindi (she also belongs to herself - **Angela teh Platypus**). But I do own myself... and that dark shadowy place over there. :)

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Together**

"Well, you see…" Robin began uncertainly. Erindi glanced at her questioningly, wondering if her friend had any idea what she was going to say. Unfortunately, she didn't.

Jack, however, knew an opportunity when he saw one, and, smiling warmly at Ella, slipped an arm around Robin's waist. "We're with them," he explained.

Ella blinked her surprise. "You're…" She looked from Robin to Erindi and back again, searching for confirmation. When she wasn't looking in his direction, Jack shot Aragorn a threatening look, and Aragorn, knowing Jack would likely make a scene if he didn't go along with it, put his arm around Erindi's shoulders. Erindi blushed, and Robin's eyes grew wide.

"They're your boyfriends?" Ella asked, her voice a mixture of indignation at not being told earlier, intrigue, and a bit of disappointment (who wouldn't be disappointed to hear that someone like Aragorn and Jack were taken?) – all in all, quite a confusing combination, especially at that hour of the night.

Robin glanced at Erindi, who was too surprised to offer any real help. Robin opened her mouth to disagree… but then, how else would she explain showing up with two strange men in the middle of the night at her friend's front door? She couldn't tell Ella the truth – at least not yet. Not to mention the small (at least, she liked to think it was small) part of her that wanted desperately to play along with the idea. _What have you got to lose?_ she asked herself. Finding no adequate answer, she meekly nodded her head. "Yeah. Sorry we didn't tell you before, Ella. It's kind of recent," she added, emphasizing the word "recent" with a meaningful glance at Jack. Erindi, not knowing what else to do, nodded once in agreement.

Ella stared at them all for a moment, sensing she wasn't getting the whole story but unsure what they might be keeping for her. At last, she gave in to the desire to just go with it, promising herself silently to demand the whole truth the next day, when she was fully awake. She offered her friends a big smile. "Well, congratulations! Would you mind introducing them?"

Robin and Erindi shared their second panicked glance of the night. They couldn't very well give her Jack and Aragorn's real names, so it was time for some more quick thinking. This time, it was Aragorn's turn to offer help, having noticed that Erindi and Robin didn't want their friend to know who he and Jack were. "My name's Alex," he said, extending his hand to Ella. She took it, and he kissed her hand briefly before releasing her.

"And this is Jack," Robin put in, glancing at Jack scathingly to warn him not to correct her by adding both his title and surname. He frowned a little but refrained from saying anything.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both," Ella said. A wry grin crossed her face. "Despite the strange circumstances and unearthly hour of the night."

"We were hoping you had a few extra rooms we could stay in for the night," Erindi spoke up.

Robin nodded, suppressing a yawn. It was late, she was tired, and it was definitely time to get into a real bed. Bus seats aren't exactly the most comfortable things to sleep on. "You had four guest rooms, if I remember correctly."

Ella winced. "I turned two of those into storage, since no one ever uses them," she told them apologetically.

Robin and Erindi frowned. Jack grinned deviously. "That's all right. We'll only need one—" His sentence was cut off as Robin placed a hand firmly over his mouth.

"You… do you have anywhere else they might be able to sleep?"

Ella shook her head. "Sorry if I wasn't quite expecting you," she said dryly. She paused, and glanced behind her at the living room. "Well, there is always the couch."

Robin moved her hand and looked at Jack. "You'd better volunteer, because you are _not_ sleeping with me." Her face turned a bright red as she realized how badly she had worded that.

Jack chuckled quietly, content with the satisfaction her choice of words had gived him. "All right. Couch it is."

"But what about you?" Erindi asked Aragorn.

Aragorn smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll sleep on the floor out here. Don't worry about it," he added when he saw she was about to argue with him. "Go get some sleep." He kissed her forehead and headed over to find a comfortable spot on the floor… if such a thing existed. Erindi looked after him, a small smile curling the corner of her lips.

Jack turned Robin to look at him. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Not while you're staying in my guest rooms, please," Ella admonished from behind them. Jack ignored her, keeping his eyes on Robin's.

Robin rolled her eyes. "Not a chance, Jack."

He shrugged. "It was worth a shot." Before she could protest, he leaned down and kissed her gently for a moment, then whispered in her ear, his lips brushing against her cheek. "G'night, love." He smiled his trademark smile at her before heading over to the couch, leaving Robin to stare after him breathlessly.

"Like I said, congratulations," Ella murmured teasingly to Robin and Erindi. Patting each of their shoulders, she said, "I trust you remember where the rooms are? The empty ones are the two at the end of the hall. Good night, you guys." She turned then and headed for her room to catch up on the sleep she'd been missing.

Robin and Erindi stood watching Aragorn and Jack a moment, until each caught the other staring. Rather than start an argument that neither of them could really win, she smiled knowingly at Erindi and mouthed "Good-night" before heading quietly towards the wing with the guest rooms.

Erindi followed her, but not before glancing back at Aragorn's sleeping form one last time. _I hardly know him,_ she told herself sternly as she forced herself to look away and leave the room, but she knew it didn't matter. As she lay down on the bed and drifted into the nighttime world of dreams, she couldn't quite suppress the smile that crossed her mouth as she thought of Aragorn's arm around her shoulders and the chaste kiss he had placed on her forehead.


	8. The Beginnings of a Long Day

Told y'all I was on a roll!!! Day two of being back online, and already a second new chapter posted! I'm so proud, I think I'm going to cry (not really). This one, like the last one, is also a bit short (sorry about that) but it's better than nil. Like Seinfeld (a show about "nothing" - lol you have to be a fan to get it, sorry about that) I've come to realize this fanfic is a story about "nothing"... but I'd like to think it's entertaining nonetheless (much like Seinfeld... unless you don't like that show... in which case please pretend I didn't mention it). But don't worry, next chapter is going to be _muy_ interesante, amigos. And no, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with my random switch to Spanish - there really is no explanation for _that_. And only two more chapters to go... Wish me luck, mates!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I am fanfictionally poor. (sigh)

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Beginnings of a Long Day**

"Ella, I'm sorry, but we've got to be getting home!" Robin argued for the umpteenth time that day, trying and still failing to assume a calm countenance.

"But what's the rush?" Ella wasn't buying it. "Did something happen?"

Robin's cheeks began to color. She, Erindi, and their "boyfriends" had been at Ella's house now for a few days. They still hadn't told Ella the truth about Jack and "Alex" – the fewer people that knew, the better, they'd decided – and thus the "boyfriend" charade was still going on. Unable to do anything but go with it, the past few days had passed surreally for Robin, and her head was spinning from the dream-like quality of the situation. She couldn't lie to herself any longer; she was definitely enjoying the attention from Jack. But it was a charade… and she was afraid of forgetting she was just playing along. Her thoughts were jumbled, and her heart wasn't much better. She needed to get out of there and stop pretending, before she did something she'd regret. The problem now was convincing her friend she needed to leave… without telling her the truth. She felt bad for lying, but she promised herself inwardly she'd tell Ella the entire story one day.

"Robbie? Hello? You still there?" Ella's voice jolted Robin out of her train of thought and back to reality.

She scowled at her friend. "Don't _call_ me that!" she complained, covering her face with her hands. _At least no one else heard that,_ she thought, grateful they were conversing in the relative privacy of her room.

"I was hoping it would bring you back down to Earth. At least it worked," Ella replied with a smirk. "Now, could you please answer my question?"

Robin had to think a moment to recall what her friend had asked. "No, nothing happened," she answered when she remembered. "I just need to get back home. Work and all, that sort of thing."

Ella squinted at her speculatively. "You're getting pretty worked up about 'nothing,'" she said simply. She paused as something occurred to her. "Can you at least stay until tomorrow?"

Robin frowned. "Why, what's tomorrow?"

Ella grinned. "Halloween. Christine's party, remember?"

Robin's eyes widened. Now that Ella brought it up, she _did_ remember. Christine, another friend of theirs, had sent out invitations at the beginning of the month for a masquerade ball on Halloween. After everything that had happened, Robin had all but forgotten it – but she'd already told Christine she'd be coming, and she couldn't back out now. Since the place Christine had rented (with some help from Ella and her parents) was closer to Ella's house than Robin's apartment, she knew it made more sense to stay until after tomorrow. She sighed, feeling a headache coming on. _One more day,_ she told herself. _I can stay for one more day._ "All right, Ella. But day after tomorrow, I'm going home."

"Deal." Ella smiled briefly and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Just… remember, you can tell me anything, Robin. I'm here to help." With that, she left the room.

Robin sighed and covered her face again. It was going to be a long day, she could feel it.

Meanwhile, Erindi, Aragorn, and Jack had been left sitting on the couch in the living room to ponder what Ella and Robin were arguing about. They hadn't been able to hear much of it, but they'd caught a few words – most importantly, they'd heard Robin mention going home, and she'd sounded pretty frustrated when she'd said it. "What's her problem?" Erindi wondered.

"Does she get homesick easily?" Aragorn asked gently.

Erindi shook her head. "Not that I know of, at any rate. We've stayed over here before, and it wasn't a problem then."

Aragorn paused, considering the options. "Is there something important happening back at home?"

Erindi shook her head. "Once again, nothing I _know_ of. She doesn't have a boyfriend," – here she glanced at Jack – "and she's her own boss at work, so she doesn't really need to worry about deadlines." She paused, and looked back at Jack again, who'd been unusually quiet the whole conversation. "Did something happen between you two?"

Despite living under the same roof for the last few days, it would be a lie to say her attention had been focused on the two of them the whole time. She, too, was enjoying the boyfriend charade, and although she, unlike Robin, was still able to lie to herself about it, she was more than willing to continue to play along. Robin and Jack had gone for a walk alone once or twice during that time, and the last time Robin had come back looking troubled. Erindi hadn't stopped to think about it at the time, but now she wondered if she should've been more concerned.

Jack didn't look at her, choosing instead to focus his attention on fiddling with his compass, though he didn't open it. Now that Erindi and Aragorn were paying attention, they realized something was up. "Jack?" Aragorn prompted softly.

Jack shrugged finally, still looking down. "Nothing different from normal."

Erindi and Aragorn shared a glance. "Is it something to do with the walk you two went on yesterday?"

Jack's frown deepened, and he pressed his lips into a thin line – a facial expression which clearly said, "I don't want to talk about it." Erindi sighed; when it came to trouble, he could shut himself in like a clam, and the only person who had ever managed to get him to open up thus far was Robin. Aragorn opened his mouth to say something, but just then Robin walked into the room with Ella, and the conversation dropped in a flash. Out of the corner of her eye, Erindi saw Jack put the compass away and make an effort to look casual.

"Well, guys, looks like we have to do some serious shopping today," Ella announced cheerfully.

"Why?" Erindi asked, suddenly wary of the two shopaholics standing before her. She hoped Ella wasn't trying to cheer up Robin by going on a mad shopping spree. It was just too scary, between the two of them, and the last thing Erindi was in the mood for was watching the two of them go into "Must Buy" mode.

Luckily, her worries were unfounded. "For the Halloween masquerade tomorrow," Robin said, her voice slightly strained but on the whole more positive than it had been earlier. There was nothing like a good _Phantom of the Opera_ reference to help cheer her up. Though her friend Christine looked nothing like the one in the movie, she couldn't help but find it amusing that they shared the same name now that Christine was having a party much like the one from the story, albeit less extravagant.

Erindi blinked. _Crap._ They were going out at the last minute to buy costumes… the day before Halloween. Could they have had worse timing? Erindi didn't think so.

"I suppose you two are coming as well," Ella said uncertainly, looking at Jack and Aragorn. Aragorn sneaked a look at Jack out of the corner of his eye to see how he was taking all this, and was surprised to find him smiling, as if somehow the party was going to work to his advantage. Knowing Jack, who could just about turn anything in his favor, it probably would.

"Yep," Robin answered for them. "We can't leave them here alone." When Ella looked a question at her, she added hastily, "They'll probably get themselves into trouble."

Ella chuckled. "Boys will be boys. All right then, let's go get those costumes, before the stores get completely sold out."

Erindi sighed as she, Jack, and Aragorn got up to follow Ella and Robin out the door. "This is gonna be hell," she muttered, thinking of the long lines and bustling crowds that were no doubt awaiting them at the mall.

Aragorn laughed and put a hand on her shoulder. "I think we'll survive."


	9. Masquerade

Another new chapter, as promised... only one more to go!!! I warn you... it's sad... possibly emo (hopefully not though)... but like I said, there will be a sequel! Every ending is just a beginning! On an even brighter note, this is NOT a relatively short chapter... it's five solid, glorious pages of nothing but (hopefully better) writing. And yes, somethings happen... and I _did_ mean to put that "s" there. Mind you, most of this chapter was written while listening to the song "She Will Be Loved"... so yeah. Hopeless romanticism abound. But you wouldn't have read this far if you really minded that, would you?

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing... not even the seemingly random Christine, who really is another friend of mine, along with Erindi and Ella. I don't even truly own my own bloody costume in this chapter!... at least, not yet. :)

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Masquerade**

Robin scanned the costumed crowd, trying and still failing to distinguish a familiar face during the pause between songs. Aside from the hostess herself, Robin hadn't yet found any of the friends she knew were present somewhere. She'd danced with a few men already, in hopes of finding Jack or Aragorn, but they had all turned out to be strangers.

The beads and trinkets she'd woven into her hair jangled as her head turned from side to side, searching. After much inner debate, she had finally decided during the shopping spree the day before to dress as a gypsy for the party – and, as always, she had gone all-out. Her dress was a silken azure color, and multi-colored scarves hung from a girdle made of braided silver ribbon and sequins. Large silver hoop earrings dangled from her ears, and a sky-blue handkerchief kept her beaded, braided and curled hair out of her face. Her mask was a silver domino, decorated with blue and green glitter designs and a few white feathers on the top.

The only other costume she knew for sure was Aragorn's. When she and the others had gone shopping the day before, they'd split up so that, for the most part, no one would know any one else's disguise. Robin had gone with the Ranger, Erindi had been stuck with Jack, and Ella had gone out on her own. For the same reasons, they'd also agreed to come to the party at different times… and this was why Robin now found herself standing alone off to the side of the dance-floor.

Curiosity burned in her mind like a brand. What, she wondered, had the others dressed up like? More importantly… where was Jack? Normally, she'd have chastised herself for a thought like that, but she was too busy looking around to pay much attention to it this time.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as a new character all but materialized before her. She hadn't seen him coming, but now that he was here, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was dressed elaborately in a black coat, white shirt, red vest, and black pants, with shiny black boots to match. His belt had a large and expensive-looking gold buckle, and he, too, had beads in his hair, though for the most part it was tied back in a ponytail-type style, and a red bandana helped to keep it all in place. He wore a plain black domino mask, one that (because of Robin's sometimes odd powers of association) reminded her of the Phantom – but this was no Opera Ghost. Somehow she knew without asking that he was dressed as a Gypsy King.

He held out one black-gloved hand and offered her a single red rose, speaking to her in a soft (if a bit fake) French accent. "Would you care to dance?"

Meanwhile, Aragorn (who had befittingly dressed up as none other than the Grim Reaper with a black cloak, black half-mask, and a scythe) had his eyes on something a bit more fantastical. While conducting his own search for the others, his gaze had fallen on one costumed individual in particular, and now he watched as she danced with a man dressed unmistakably as Zorro. Though it was clear she was no poor dancer, her movements were made a bit awkward by a pair of almost translucent, multicolored wings sprouting from the back of her beautiful spring-green dress. Her mask, he saw as she turned somewhat towards him during the dance, was an intricate butterfly mask, made of feathers of various shades of forest green, with silver sequins lining the holes for the eyes.

His eyebrows drew together slightly as he considered her. Something about her was strange to him, but he couldn't place a finger on it exactly… something about her movements, the way she smiled, her hair…

Her hair! It was a strange, tri-colored mix of blonde, copper, and brown – not exactly common. There was only one person he knew with hair like that… and, sure enough, as the song ended, the fairy turned and he unexpectedly found himself looking into a pair of very familiar hazel eyes.

Erindi blinked. It was as if she'd been frozen in place – cliché, she knew, but true. One moment, she'd been enjoying herself with a polite – if a bit dull – Zorro wannabe, and the next, she'd found herself staring into a pair of glinting eyes, shadowed by a black hood. She blinked again, and, with an effort, shook herself out of her daze. She turned away from the stranger, unsettled by the moment they'd shared, and headed for one of the nearby buffet tables to have a drink.

After having a good taste of wine, she turned… and nearly jumped out of her skin when she discovered the Death look-alike was standing right behind her. She couldn't see most of his face, but she could clearly discern a smile spreading across his lips as he held out his hand in a gesture which politely asked, "May I have this dance?"

Mesmerized, she took his hand, and let him lead her out to the dance floor. After a few silent moments, a slow smile spread across her own face as she realized the irony of it all. "I'm dancing with Death."

The man smiled and inclined his head. "And very well, at that."

Erindi blushed. "I suppose I am, relatively speaking. I haven't knocked anyone out with my wings yet."

Her dancing partner chuckled. Something about his laugh seemed familiar – in fact, his entire personage seemed familiar – but she couldn't quite place it. Unfortunately, the song was slowly but surely drawing to a close.

"Would you like to sit down for a bit?" the man asked, reminding Erindi that she hadn't yet rested, and her feet were beginning to hurt. She nodded, and he guided her over to a couple of seats by the wall. He sat down with her, and together they watched the crowd as the band began to play a beautiful slow song.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to share this dance with you as well," the Gypsy King said to Robin just as she was pulling away. He pulled her back to him to emphasize his point.

Robin tried very hard not to smile like a loon. She didn't mind – not at all. This man was a terrific dancer, and there was something about him she trusted, something about him that told her she wouldn't mind dancing with him the entire night. "If you insist," she managed to say, and all but swooned when he pulled her closer still and began dancing again. She put her arms around his neck and her head on his shoulder, content to be completely lost in the music. She should've been looking for Jack and the others, she knew, but somehow she felt like she didn't need to anymore. Though any one else would probably have guessed why this was, Robin had always been a bit dense when it came to things like this, and it hadn't yet occurred to her to wonder who the man behind the mask might be.

When the song ended, the band gently laid their instruments down while they took a five-minute break. Robin sighed a little and raised her head, unwilling to come back to reality. "Thank you," she whispered.

The man said nothing, only looked down at her, an uncertain look on his face. Then, suddenly, he was kissing her, his lips soft against hers, and Robin found herself kissing him back before she rightly knew what was going on. She knew she should pull back, but something told her not to, something in her heart said it was all right, and she didn't move.

The man, however, did. "I'm sorry," he murmured hoarsely, all traces of the fake accent gone. Now that he was no longer disguising his voice, Robin (finally) recognized the man she'd been looking for all along.

Gently, she reached up and pulled his mask up. "Jack." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

He winced as if he'd been physically hit. "I'm sorry," he said again. He hadn't meant to kiss her – in fact, he'd promised himself he wouldn't do anything of the sort. He'd meant to surprise Robin, impress her even, in order to make it up to her for always flirting with her, and taking the whole "boyfriend" thing seemingly seriously. He hadn't meant to make the same mistake all over again.

Robin looked at him a moment, taking it all in. This time, there was no reason to continue pretending – Ella was nowhere in sight, and it certainly hadn't seemed like he was just teasing her. So why…? "Jack?" she began uncertainly. He looked at her sadly, as if he expected her to be angry with him. She was anything but. "Why'd you do that?"

He thought it over carefully, going through all the possible answers (rather, excuses) he could give. But he'd already made one mistake tonight. Perhaps, just this once, honesty was the best policy. "Isn't it obvious, love?"

Robin blinked. The biggest problem she'd had the past few days at Ella's house was not the actual pretending bit, but the fact that that was all it was – pretending. The whole time, she'd just assumed Jack was just being himself, nothing more, nothing less. But now, it seemed, he was telling her otherwise. She watched him a moment, and realized it was true. It had meant something to him, after all. She just hadn't been able to see it. Rather than answer in words, she kissed him again, and smiled when he returned the gesture.

It was during that very moment that Aragorn caught sight of them. Once he saw them, there was no mistaking the strawberry-blonde of Robin's hair… and he could only assume the man she was kissing was Jack. He smiled, and pointed them out to Erindi. "Don't they make a nice couple," he commented.

Erindi smiled ironically, not knowing the man she was talking to knew perfectly well what he was talking about. "Yes, especially since their costumes match," she replied, all the while thinking, _Finally!_ Apparently, whatever had happened before between Robin and Jack was now resolved, and she was happy for them both. She paused. Where, in all this, was Aragorn?

Before that thought could fully form, however, the band began gathering on the stage once more, and the cloaked figure beside her rose and held out his hand to her for the second time that night. "Would you care to share one more dance, or am I being too selfish?"

Erindi smiled. "If you insist," she said, taking his hand and following him back onto the dance floor just as a second slow song began. She blushed, but she'd already agreed to dance with him, and soon she found herself lost in the steps. This man was a very good dancer, and, though she'd just met him (or so she thought), she liked him already… though he was a bit creepy with his hood and all. He played the part of Death, perhaps, a little bit too well.

The song was bittersweet – beautiful in a tragic way – and when it finally began to fade, Erindi all but felt tears stinging her eyes. She pulled back, and caught nearly the same look in the eyes of the man in front of her. It was such a perfect moment, Erindi felt like she was the heroine of a romance novel… a suggestion which was only strengthened when he raised a hand gently to touch her face. Unconsciously, she leaned towards him, and, after a moment that seemed frozen in time, he moved his hand behind her neck and kissed her passionately.

Before she could take it all in, however, the man pulled back, and she caught glimpse of the pain in his eyes before he turned and disappeared into the crowd. She searched the crowd for him, her heart torn nearly in two, but he was gone, and she was left to stand alone on the dance floor, the sadness in his eyes haunting her memory.

Aragorn, once he was sure he was out of Erindi's line of sight, approached Robin and Jack (who had pulled his mask back down once the song had started). They, too, had just finished dancing, and looked at him with some measure of surprise as he approached. He pulled his mask up so they could recognize him. "Aragorn?" Robin would have smiled at his costume, but the look on his face quickly changed her mind.

"I'm heading back early," he told them. Before they'd all left for the party, Robin had written out directions for Aragorn and Jack to and from Christine's house, so they wouldn't get lost along the way, since they'd planned to all go separately. Robin gave him the spare key Ella had given her, silently reminding herself to find her friend before they left the party.

"What happened?" Jack asked the Ranger.

Aragorn didn't answer. Instead, he turned, and, disappearing into the crowd once more, made his way out the door and back to Ella's place. He, like Jack, had made what he thought was a mistake, and he was only grateful that no one but he knew what it was. Even Erindi didn't know it was he who had kissed her.

Erindi, meanwhile, was sitting on one of the chairs against the wall. She wasn't tired, but she certainly didn't feel like dancing anymore. The night had seemed so perfect, until Death had disappeared. Now, she just felt lonely. The light seemed too bright, the music too loud, and the food too sweet or too bitter. Even the wine tasted wrong, but that didn't keep her from drinking it now.

Still, when Robin and Jack finally found her an hour or so later, she managed to put on a smile and congratulate them. "I saw you two earlier," she explained when Robin looked confused.

Jack grinned, and Robin blushed. "Thanks very much," he said, slipping his arm around Robin's waist.

Erindi raised an eyebrow. "So I take it whatever happened between you two is all right now?"

Robin and Jack shared a warm glance. Once Robin had explained her side of it to Jack, and vice-versa, they had laughed at the irony of it all. If only one of them had said something sooner! "Yes, it's all good," Robin told Erindi.

Erindi smiled again, and this time, at least, it was sincere. Despite her own woes, she was truly happy for the two of them. "I'm glad." She paused, and her smile faded a little, though Robin and Jack were too cheerful to take note of it. "Have either of you seen Aragorn?"

Robin and Jack shared another glance, this time cautious. "Actually, we did, once. He said he was going home early, but he wouldn't tell us why. You didn't see him?"

Erindi shook her head. "At least, I don't think so." She yawned to draw attention away from the set look she knew was on her face.

Yawns, as we all know, are contagious, and Robin did it too as she slowly began to realize just how late it was – and how tired she felt. "I think it's time we were all getting back," said a voice to their right, and the three turned to see a young woman dressed as a Renaissance princess smiling warmly at them all.

"Ella," Robin smiled at her. "You look great."

"So do you three. Did you have fun?"

Robin and Jack smiled at each other and nodded. Erindi nodded semi-convincingly.

"Good." Ella frowned and looked around. "Where's Alex?"

"He already went home," Robin answered carefully. "I gave him my key."

"Oh. Well, all right then. Shall we leave?"

They nodded, and the three of them followed Ella wearily out the door. Robin yelped as Jack suddenly swept her off her feet (literally) and began carrying her as they walked. "Put me down," she said, meaning it as a command, but she was too tired to sound bossy.

Jack smiled and kissed her forehead. "Shhh. Don't worry about it."

Robin smiled wearily and put her head on his shoulder, her eyes closing. "Thank you," she whispered.

Erindi and Ella pretended not to hear them, though for totally different reasons.

When they arrived back at the house, they found Aragorn already changed back into his normal clothes, sound asleep on the floor near the couch. Smiling, Ella placed a finger on her lips and mouthed good-night to the others as she slipped into her bedroom.

Erindi watched Aragorn for a moment, bidding him a silent good-night in her mind before going into her room as well.

Jack smiled a little; Robin was asleep. Gently, he carried her into her room and laid her down on her bed, removing her mask and bandana before pulling the covers up over her. "Good night," he whispered.

Robin, waking up slightly from the movement of being put down, opened her eyes drowsily and smiled at him. "Good night, Jack." She paused, and frowned a little. "Jack?"

"Hmmm?"

"How did you know to dress up as a gypsy?"

At this, Jack smiled his infamous trademark grin. "Well, I might've accidentally meandered by you while you were picking out your costume yesterday…"

"You cheated!" she exclaimed, though not very assertively.

He grinned and bent down to whisper in her ear. "Pirate." She couldn't help but smile at that, and he kissed her for a moment before quietly leaving, closing the door behind him. Robin drifted back into sleep happily, looking forward already to the next day.

The next day, however, did not go according to plan.

* * *

**AN**: Yes, yes, yes... I KNOW THERE IS A SLIGHT PROBLEM WITH THE ARAGORN THING. I have, in fact, realized that I have not yet explained how Aragorn can possibly like Erindi... when he's supposed to be 87 years old and married to Arwen, with children. I tell you now, neither of those is a problem... because neither is true. Oh, you may think it is, those of you who are Tolkien loyalists (or have even read the books or seen the extended versions of the movies)... but you are forgetting one thing. This is MY story... thus, I am in charge here! So trust me when I say that these things are not true - because that is how I have written this story. As for how I'm going to explain myself... you're just going to have to wait for the next chapter, savvy? ;) 


	10. Unspoken Farewells

Well, friends, it's been a long, sometimes tiresome, journey. But at last we've arrived at... dun dun dun... the END! And, as we all know, "It's the most important part of the story, the ending," (thank you, Mort Rainey), and I can only hope this one is somewhere in the vicinity of "perfect". Thank you, one and all, for sticking around to the the ending! Sorry for the lack of Jack and Aragorn-ness in this chapter... but I promise to make up for it in the future. Whatever you do, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END!!!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, not even that quote about the ending...

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Unspoken Farewells**

The next morning dawned bright and clear. A crisp fall breeze, carrying the whispers of winter, softly stirred the curtains of Erindi's borrowed room, blowing a single golden maple leaf onto the floor. Erindi groaned and pulled her covers over her head as the cool breeze toyed with her hair and tickled her neck, like persistent fingers trying to wake her up. Though she didn't want to admit it, they'd succeeded – despite the fact that it was not yet 10:00 AM, and thus, in Erindi's opinion, was an unearthly hour to be awakened. Still, after ten solid minutes of trying to fall back asleep, she had to admit defeat, and she slowly dragged herself out of bed and into a pair of jeans and a Pink Floyd t-shirt.

Running a brush halfheartedly through her hair, she blinked the sleep from her eyes and glanced at the clock. Yes, she'd been right – she'd woken up a full hour early. Her first reaction was to sigh and shut the window, but as she put away the hairbrush and headed for the door, she realized something was missing. She blinked.

Neither Robin nor Aragorn had come to wake her up.

She frowned and shook her head, feeling silly for her moment of concern. So what if they hadn't? It wasn't like either of them actually came every single day. Now that _would_ be strange. Still, when she walked through Ella's living room to the kitchen without seeing any sign of the others, she couldn't help but feel a nagging worry at the back of her mind, as if something was wrong. But it wasn't until she walked out onto the back porch, a cup of black coffee in her hand, that she realized how wrong it was.

"Robin?!" she exclaimed, no longer needing the coffee to jolt her awake. Robin looked up from her seat on one of the deck chairs; the black mascara she'd put on first thing in the morning was smeared down her face in streaks, and her eyes were red from crying. She put her hands over her mouth to stifle a sob, and shook her head wordlessly.

Wide-eyed, Erindi left her coffee on the nearby table and pulled a chair over to sit beside her friend, putting an arm around her shoulders as she shivered and wept. It was cold out, especially at that time of the day, and Robin hadn't bothered to throw on anything other than a tank top and slacks. Erindi wondered how long she'd been out there. "Robin," she said gently, "what happened?"

Robin murmured something incomprehensible, and lowered her face into her hands. Erindi had to ask her twice to repeat herself before she understood. "They're gone."

"Who's…" The question remained unfinished as the truth slowly dawned on Erindi. Aragorn and Jack should've been here to comfort Robin before she even arrived. For one illusory second, Erindi wondered where they'd gone. When the instant passed, she was left with an empty feeling inside as she realized what Robin must've meant. "Robin?" she finally managed weakly.

Robin cleared her throat a few times before roughly wiping the tears from her eyes, smudging her makeup further, and looked up. She really was a mess, but it was what she finally said that truly shocked Erindi into fully understanding what was going on at last. "They've gone back," Robin whispered brokenly. "Back to Middle-earth." She buried her face in her hands again, distraught. "We'll never see them again." Erindi, for her part, was too flustered to reply. The morning had seemed so peaceful, so calm, so… _perfect_. Appearances, it seemed, could be deceiving.

Erindi slowly slid from her kneeling position into a sitting one as the full force of their loss hit her. Like a home movie, she could see in her mind's eye the little moments she'd shared with Aragorn since he and Jack had arrived, out of place and out of time. She recalled the look on his face as he held up the "closer" shirt while buying clothes at Sears, his reaction when she'd let him taste her coffee for the first time, the way his eyes had shone as he spoke of Middle-earth during their walk down the beach. She couldn't believe it was over, though she should've known it would happen. They couldn't stay forever. Her eyes stung, and, reaching up to touch her face with a fingertip, she discovered she was crying, though no sound escaped her lips. She hadn't known him long enough yet to love him – she wasn't nearly enough of a romance-novel reader to even consider that – but that didn't make it hurt any less, and she knew that when Aragorn had left them, he'd taken a part of her with him.

"I didn't get to say goodbye," she murmured, unaware she'd spoken aloud.

"Neither did I," Robin croaked, swiping at her eyes again and raising her head at last from the cradle of her fingers. "I…" she paused as she looked Erindi, and a terrible look of dark surprise crossed her face.

Erindi frowned a little. "What?"

"You… oh, Erindi!" She gasped and threw her arms around her. "You never knew, did you?"

"What?" Erindi still had no idea what she was going on about.

"Did you dance with Death last night?" Normally, it would've been an entirely random, out-of-the-blue question, even for Robin, but Erindi knew exactly who she meant. Silently, she nodded. Robin hugged her tighter. "Erindi… that was Aragorn. He did come. I know you thought he didn't, or that he didn't want to see you – you always think of things like that – but he did. He came. That was him."

Erindi nearly choked. _That_ was Aragorn?

"After I woke up this morning, I remembered last night, and how strangely you'd both acted, and I wondered what had happened. Then I remembered you said you hadn't seen him, but then maybe you just hadn't recognized him, and then I realized what must've happened. He must've wanted to tell you how much he cared about you, but he didn't think he should. That's why he left early and looked so upset, and that's why he didn't tell you who he was." Robin pulled back to look her in the eye. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Erindi's throat double-clutched, and it was a moment before she could speak again. "I… he… he said that?"

Robin didn't have to ask to understand her meaning. "He never told me directly that he liked you, but I could tell by the way he acted around you, the way he looked at you." She paused. "Did something happen?"

Erindi was staring into nothingness, seeing, as Robin suspecting, the events of the previous night's masquerade. "He kissed me."

Robin's eyes widened, and she hugged Erindi a second time.

"I'm sorry," said a new voice. Robin and Erindi jerked to their feet in surprise, spinning around to face the owner of the voice. On the railing stood none other than Eris, the goddess of chaos, and wreaker of all the havoc that had happened lately, starting with bringing Captain Jack Sparrow and Aragorn Elessar into their lives. But she was not the Eris they remembered, though there still was no mistaking her. She had changed, as if she had aged – yet she did not look older. Instead, she seemed wiser and calmer, more of the goddess she was supposed to be, and less of the mischievous sprite they'd first encountered. Her violet eyes gleamed with pity rather than impishness, and her lime green hair had grown out into long, flowing emerald waves. Her shirt and pants had been replaced with a soft lavender gown, and her boots had transformed into white sandals. Only her pale cherry wings remained unchanged. There was no sign of her old wand. Even her voice, they realized, seemed deeper, now that she no longer spoke in the chipper singsong she'd used before.

She fluttered her wings a little, and floated down from the railing to land soundlessly on the wooden flooring of the porch. "Even goddesses have rules to follow."

Robin and Erindi gaped at her, speechless. It was Robin who spoke up first. "Eris… why?"

The goddess gazed at her intently, as if she were reading her mind. "I brought them here because I am the goddess of chaos, and that is what I do. And," she sighed, "because I owed it to my sister, Aphrodite."

"Aphrodite?" Erindi echoed.

Eris nodded. "I made a wager with her a few years ago, and I lost. This was the debt I owed her. To bring them here… to meet you."

Erindi shared a glance with Robin before raising an eyebrow at the goddess. "This all happened… just so we could meet them? Because you lost a bet?"

Eris nodded again. "Think about it. I am the goddess of chaos. I agreed to these terms because of the chaos that would ensue. But what would Aphrodite care for chaos? She's the goddess…"

"…of love," Robin said, finishing the sentence. Her eyes shone bright with a light Erindi had earlier feared was gone for good. "We were meant to meet them, because… we were meant to fall in love with them."

"According to Aphrodite, at least," Eris acknowledged. She eyed them both sadly. "Unfortunately, I cannot keep them here forever. They simply do not belong. However strong they may be, they would not make it here. They are not made for a world such as this."

The mortals were silent for a few moments as they considered this. At last, her eyes on the ground, Robin spoke again. "Eris?"

Eris looked at Robin and raised her eyebrows, sensing the human's discomfort. "Yes?" She knew the question was one which needed to be said aloud, and she felt it was best if she left that task to the young woman who'd thought of it.

"Ummm…" Robin swallowed, her cheeks slightly pink. She hated to be the one to ask, but it was important – not just to her, but to everyone concerned. "How is it that Aragorn can care for Erindi… when he's married with kids… at 87 years old?"

Erindi paled. In the excitement of Aragorn and Jack's arrival and the ensuing chaos, she'd completely forgotten that Aragorn was supposed to be wed to Arwen, and that his Numenorian blood slowed the aging process for him. Everything Robin had said was true, and, despite her feeling for Aragorn, it made her feel a bit sick to think that she'd kissed someone that old – and married, to top it all off.

Eris smiled enigmatically at them. "Is it not true that ages makes no difference in the face of love?" She laughed. "Of course, it does help when age is not a problem in the first place. I am happy to inform you both that all of your preconceived notions about this situation are all completely incorrect and misinformed. Age is not an issue here, and neither is marital status."

Erindi and Robin stared at her, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide. Finally, Erindi managed to make her voice work again. "What?"

Eris laughed again, a merry tinkling sound reminiscent of her previous, impish form. "Do you believe blindly in everything you read?" Seeing the mortals still staring at her in open puzzlement, she continued. "Professor Tolkien changed the story to fit his imagination. It made the story better, and it made it feel more original to him."

"You mean…" Robin began.

Eris nodded. "Oh, yes. He knew of parallel worlds, just as well as you do now. Writing the_ Lord of the Rings_ books took him eleven years not because of all the material he had to invent, but because of all the research he had to do."

Robin and Erindi were amazed. "He… met…"

Eris nodded again. "Yes, he met many of the characters of Middle-Earth."

"But… how…"

"He was a special case. He was the only one capable of telling the tale of the War of the Ring, without botching it." Before she could be further questioned on the topic, the goddess changed back to the original train of thought. "As for your questions concerning noble Aragorn, do not fear. He is only a few years older than either of you, and unmarried." She grinned at them. "And, as far as I know, without children."

Erindi sighed a little in relief. It's always nice to know you haven't been kissing a married man who could easily be old enough to be your father, even if he did look incredibly young for his age. Robin, however, was still frowning. While Eris was explaining the Aragorn situation for Erindi, she'd thought of something else to ask, something that terribly wanted answering.

"Eris?" Eris looked at her, her eyes encouraging the young woman to go on. "Why did you them here at all, if you knew it would end like this? What point is there in that?"

Eris seemed unperturbed by the sudden sharpness of Robin's tone, and answered as calmly as ever. "Lost love is still love. You, of all people, should know that, what with that quote you place so much faith in."

Robin's eyes widened at this as she remembered. It was a line from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, _In Memoriam: 27_. "'Tis better to have loved and lost," she recited, "than never to have loved at all." Her voice cracked on the last syllable, and her eyes began to sting with tears again.

Eris nodded. "Asking why they came here at all if they were only going to leave is like asking why Romeo met Juliet if it would only lead them to their deaths. There is always a purpose, even if the ends do not appear to justify the means. What may seem like a tragic ending may, in fact, just be another beginning."

Just then, the sound of a door opening and closing somewhere in the apartment startled Robin and Erindi, and they turned to look inside through the glass door to see what had happened. "Ella's awake," Robin realized. "She'll be here out here soon, wondering what happened." She turned back to Eris, but her next question died on her lips when she saw that the goddess was no longer there. In her place rested Jack's compass and the dagger that Aragorn had once received from Celeborn.

Robin and Erindi each drew in a surprised breath at the sight, both of them knowing how much each token meant. _They're gifts_, Eris' voice whispered in their minds. Hesitantly, Robin leaned down and picked up the compass, and Erindi reached for the dagger. "Why do you think she did that?" Robin asked quietly. Erindi shrugged, not knowing what to make of the reasoning of goddesses. After a few moments, Robin sighed, and slid resignedly into one of the chairs beside the table. "Do you think we'll ever see them again?"

"I don't see why we would," she answered, leaning against the wall. She gazed reflectively at the polished blade of Aragorn's knife. "They're gone." _Probably forever,_ she added mentally.

They were silent for a few moments, and though they heard Ella looking for them inside the house, they both felt too tired to answer. She would find them soon enough, and when she did, they'd need all the strength they had to tell her the truth – all of it – at last.

"I wonder what it's like," Robin murmured, her eyes distant, "to live inside a story."

Erindi sighed heavily, wanting nothing more to sleep and never wake up. She had no answers for Robin – or for herself – and her reply reflected this. "I guess we always will."

* * *

**AN**: Now, remember when I told you to read the author's note at the end of the chapter? Well, this is it. SO READ!!! I've told you all time and time again, but just in case it went in one ear and out the other, I'll say it again. THIS IS NOT THE END OF THIS STORY. There is still a sequel to be written - and I promise it will begin with Aragorn and Jack - hell, the first chapter may very well be ALL about Aragorn and Jack. So fear not, my friends - there is hope for a happy ending yet:)


End file.
